A Dignified Summons

Tapping my birch cane against the painted threshold of the townhouse landing, I turned my attention to the heavy bronze knocker shaped like a regal lion. Its hinged ring dangled tantalizingly above my reach. Leaning my cane securely against the wooden door trim, I reached both skeletal hands up to grasp the cool, weathered bronze loop. With deliberate effort, I hoisted my feet onto a protruding brass screw head and applied downward leverage to lift the heavy iron ring an inch from its strike plate. Letting gravity execute its formal duty, the bronze descended with a sharp, resonant knock that echoed cleanly through the timber. Planting my cane once more upon the stone, I tipped my hat to the resounding parlor silence within.