Clockwork Heartbeat

After slipping past the front door sweep to escape the brisk night air, I climbed straight up to the piano top and found a classic pyramid metronome standing silent. Its slender metal pendulum was trapped under the brass transport latch, practically begging for some action. I shimmied the sliding brass weight down the scale toward a slow, mellow tempo, popped the latch free, and gave the arm a gentle flick. Tick... tock... tick... tock. The pendulum swung wide and steady, sending a deep, rhythmic pulse vibrating right through my boots into the quiet room. Leaning back against the polished mahogany, I crossed my arms and let the clockwork beat pace the rest of my night.