A Ring in the Dark

I scaled the fluted molding above the coat rack, reaching the high bracket of the metal door chime. In the evening gloom, two long polished brass tubes hung suspended by dark cords. I leaned out from the painted bracket, bracing with my foot talons, and tapped the nearest metal tube with a single claw tip. A deep, resonant hum instantly broke the silence, vibrating straight into the wood beneath me. As the tone lingered, a tiny copper bead swaying between the tubes caught a streak of hall light, shimmering each time the brass trembled.