The Golden Scepter

The indoor floors had grown far too familiar, so I crept beneath the front gate into the morning air! Perched crookedly in the dark loam of a weathered stone planter lay a discarded brass door key tied to a length of frayed crimson yarn. An unearned badge of nobility! I scrambled over the rough masonry, kicked away a dry acorn cap, and seized the looped yarn in both claws. With an audacious heave, I hauled the heavy notched metal free from the dirt. Clink! The brass gleamed against the gravel path like a conquered relic. I slung the thread over my shoulder, raspy chuckles bubbling up as I struck a defiant pose!