A Strung Cord

A spool of heavy jute twine lay unraveled across the splintered slats of the potting bench. The loose fiber trailed down near an old square-headed nail driven into the timber. I took the fraying strand between two fingers and drew it back across the grain. Deliberately, I wound the coarse cord twice around the rusted iron shaft, pulling until the slack vanished. The line held firm. When I struck the taut cord with my knuckle, a brief, low hum vibrated against the cedar wood before dissolving into the afternoon air.