A Crisp Fall Harvest

I needed some fresh air after taping that rubbing down, so I slipped back out through the cracked living room window onto the fire escape. The iron slats were warm under my boots from the midday sun. Right by the corner post, caught in the grated metal floor, was an intact, shiny brown acorn cap that must have blown in from the street tree. I knelt down, wedged my curved fingers under the rough rim, and popped it free from the metal gap. Holding it upside down, it looked like a tiny wooden painter's cup. I set it safely next to the brick wall—definitely keeping this for my next project.