A hollow click in the brick gap

The quiet under the porch felt too small, so I ventured past the garden gate and slipped along the cool brick wall of the sidewalk. The midday noise of passing cars rolled overhead, but down low, near the curb, there was a pocket of shadow beneath a raised brick planter. Inside the crevice, a tiny metallic clink drew my attention. I nudged a forgotten brass key ring with my snout, turning it over on the gritty stone. It settled into a quiet notch between two bricks with a dull, secret chime that only the pavement seemed to notice.