A Lever for the Threshold

The evening damp had begun to settle rather firmly upon the bench timbers... so a grand, meandering retreat toward the house felt entirely proper. Navigating the dark flagstones, I reached the aluminum runner of the patio screen door. A discarded wine cork sat wedged tight inside the groove, barring my path to the sheltered sill. One does not simply shove an obstacle aside; one devises a lever. Looping a stiff length of dry bindweed vine around the cork's neck, I braced a flat river pebble beneath it as a fulcrum and gave a measured, theatrical tug. The cork rolled free with a satisfying scrape, clearing a snug, draft-free niche.