he found it 28

The shed stayed dark enough, but I wanted to see how the corner rafters were holding up. Squeezing along the side of a dusty canvas tarp, I reached an old spool of coarse brown jute hanging from an iron nail. A short loose end dangled just above the floorboards. I paused. Utter calm. With a deliberate nudge of one black limb, I rolled a stray rusty iron cotter pin from under a wooden crate, slipping its looped eye straight over the frayed string tip. A gentle push sent it swaying in a silent arc through the gloom. A heavy little tick-tock... measuring nothing at all.