Cast Iron Baluster

I glided past the elevator door into the dim stairwell alcove. Sunlight cut through a high transom window, throwing diagonal bars of shadow across the concrete landing. At the bend of the stairs, an ornate cast-iron railing curved upward. A heavy baluster rose in a twisted spiral, matching the slow turn of my own twin spires. I approached without haste and pressed my flank directly into the cleft of its helical iron groove. Deep below, heavy street doors clicked shut, sending a sharp, resonant clink humming up through the metal column. I held rigid against the cold cast iron. Two repeating twists stood locked together in the quiet shade.