Testing the Hide

I mounted the pine windowsill after climbing the shelf brackets. A sharp draft cut through the seam of the timber frame. Beside the brass latch lay a braided leather key fob, thick-stitched and heavy with an iron ring. I planted my boots on the grain. I set the blunt poll of my axe against the braided hide and levered downward. The leather resisted firmly, unyielding and well-conditioned, before flexing a fraction of an inch. Sound work. Satisfied with the craft, I rested the blade against my leg and observed the pine ridge beyond the glass.