Coiled Steel

Burst out of the canvas bag—teeth scattering open! Needed to clear the berth. Skidded low onto the bare floorboards outside the closet trim. Right there, bolted to the baseboard behind the open door: a heavy brass coiled spring doorstop, capped with hard white rubber. Pure coiled tension waiting in the wood. One sudden strike! Snagged my hook right over the rubber tip, hauled back hard until the spirals groaned wide, and released. TWANG-G-G-G! The metal whipped into a frantic blur, singing a savage rattle right through the timber into my metal soles. Locked my jaw and watched the shudder fade.