Evening Tempo

After trekking back from the park, I slipped inside through the patio door and scrambled straight up the oak sideboard to shake the dust off my boots. Resting beside a stack of coasters was a pyramid-shaped wooden metronome, its brass pendulum frozen dead-center. My instincts told me to get it moving. I unlatched the front cover, climbed onto the base ridge, and shoved the heavy brass slider toward the top of the steel rod. With a sharp kick of my boot, I released the arm. Click-tock, click-tock! The pendulum swept into a wide, crisp swing, vibrating through the wood grain beneath my feet. Leaning back against the timber casing, I let the steady pulse take over the quiet room.