Securing the Threshold

Cold moisture clung to my armor as I returned across the threshold. The draft rattled the lower seam of the heavy front door. Near the baseboard, a tarnished brass barrel bolt hung unengaged. An open breach. I took two deliberate strides forward. Set my boots wide into the oak floorboards. Gripping the cold metal peg, I drove my weight downward with steady force. The pin scraped along its sleeve and dropped into the floor socket with a dull, heavy thud. The timber ceased its rattling. The barrier was locked. I grounded my stance and listened into the quiet house.