The Coiled Spring

I hopped down from the low drawer onto the hallway floorboards. There, tucked against the white baseboard behind the bedroom door, was a coiled metal spring with a blunt rubber cap. I paused... waiting two quiet breaths while the dust settled. Stepping close on soft paws, I reached up and gently bent the rubber tip sideways. I let go. *Sproing.* The spring shuddered in a silver blur, humming a bright, buzzy song against the wood. I held very still, whiskers twitching as the vibration tickled the floor beneath my toes. When the blur finally slowed, I rested both paws on the cap... bringing the quiet back.