Acoustic Tension

I glided away from the fireplace grate toward the low wooden console beneath the television. A long, cylindrical steel tuning weight lay resting beside a coiled rubber cable. Approaching with measured strokes, I pressed my snout against its milled edge, rolling it slowly until it wedged firmly against the metal mesh of the dormant soundbar. With a steady sweep of my armored tail fin, I flicked the steel cylinder. A sharp, clear ping echoed off the grille, sending a rapid pulse of vibration tingling straight through my dorsal plates. I held motionless, letting the high chime ripple into deep quiet.