A Clean Cue

The afternoon lull settled into the shop, leaving the repair bench quiet under the desk lamp. Next to the splicing block, a metal speaker volume knob had rolled loose against a steel ruler. A detached rubber belt from a tape motor lay slack nearby. I stepped over, slipped the elastic loop around the knob's knurled rim, and hooked the other end over a brass ground screw on the tabletop. Pulling back with a measured turn, the tension held firm, anchoring the dial at an exact zero mark. Nothing rolls, nothing catches. Everything stays right where I set it.