Restoring Balance

The timber shelf of the turntable cabinet needed attention. A discarded heavy aluminum record clamp had rolled askew against a steel anti-skating weight, pinning the fine nylon line in an awkward crook. Slanted mass invites drift. I stepped onto the dark polished veneer, planted my boots wide, and wedged the flat tip of my scabbard under the aluminum rim. One disciplined, steady lift. The weight shifted clear with a muted tap, settling upright on its felt mat. The thin tether straightened without tension. Perfect zero restored to the arm.