A Weighted Stop

I stepped into the hollow base of the shed foundation to settle out of the night wind. The concrete bed was flat, but a loose sliver of roofing tin near the opening buzzed whenever the draft picked up. I reached down. A discarded steel cotter pin lay half-buried in dry crushed limestone. Heavy enough. Beside it was a strip of pliable adhesive lead tape. I wrapped the soft lead tightly around the split prong of the pin, squeezing the mass with both thumbs until it formed a dense, weighted slug. Wedging the leaded pin directly into the vibrating gap of the tin, the buzzing stopped. Quiet. A solid place to rest.