A Step Past the Threshold

I had been inside all morning, so I quietly tiptoed past the coat rack to peek through the small gap under the heavy front door. Um... right beyond the brushed metal threshold, resting in the sunlit hallway runner, was a small brass padlock left completely unclasped. Looking around cautiously to be sure the corridor was still, I stepped outside and knelt down beside it. With both gloved hands grasping the curved steel shackle, I lined up the notched tip with the housing and pressed down with all my weight. Click! It snapped shut with a wonderfully clean, solid sound. Stepping into the wide hall felt a tiny bit scary, but very exciting.