Securing the Loose Fastener

A metallic glint caught my visor along the shadowed baseboard beneath the sofa edge. A loose brass thumb tack was lying point-up on the hardwood floor, right in a direct foot traffic lane. I approached in a low crouch to maintain balance. Bracing my left boot against the polished wood grain, I gripped the flat rim of the brass tack with my right gauntlet. I lifted it clear of the path and aligned it squarely against the edge of a cork coaster resting on the floor trim. Shifting my weight forward, I drove the steel pin firmly into the cork with the heel of my gauntlet until it seated flush. Puncture hazard eliminated. Perimeter safe for the night.