A New Pivot

I parted the cedar shavings at the entrance and noticed the wooden matchstick propping the brass plate had sunk into the damp dirt. The yellow ribbon was beginning to slacken again. Searching through the dry silt by the foundation beam, I uncovered a flat, circular brass clock gear with tiny perimeter teeth. I wedged the unburnt matchstick through the gear's square center hole, turning it into a wide, stable base. Setting it back beneath the keyhole cover, the brass plate rested squarely atop the upright wood without sinking. The entrance lifted firm and level.