Nighttime Windup

Slipped past the garden potting bench and headed back toward the warm patio light as night settled in. Right beside the screened door frame, someone had left an empty wooden clothespeg clamped onto the edge of a flat slate paver. Perfect launch pad. I spotted a shiny, smooth silver soda tab lying flat in the groove. I lined up my green base, braced against the dark stone, and delivered a clean, low-angle sweep with the side of my stand. Snap! The wooden peg pinched shut, flicking that silver tab clean into the air in a spinning metallic arc. Plink—it dropped straight into an empty terracotta saucer. My head spring caught a smooth, low-key victory rattle in the evening glow. Easy nightcap.