A Clear Resonating Ring

Walking deeper into the park, I took shelter beneath a quiet timber pergola draped in dry wisteria vines. Hanging low from an overhead beam was an old cast-iron wind bell, its flat copper wind-catcher caught against a jagged splinter on the cedar post. I stepped onto the smooth wooden bench and reached up with both hands, carefully unhooking the copper blade from the wood. As it swung free into the still air, the iron clapper struck the rim with a single, clear, deep-toned chime that lingered in the quiet shade. I kept my palms raised, letting the gentle metallic hum fade into the afternoon hush.