A Strip of Leather

I stepped outside into the neighborhood, trotting down the sunny pavement until a steady tap-tap of a small hammer caught my ear. Sitting on a low wooden bench outside a cobbler's shop was a wide basket of repair scraps. A long strip of braided leather cord had slipped out and dangled across the dusty stone. I paused, waiting for a passing bicycle to roll by. Then I walked over and gently braced my front foot against the stiff cord, nudging it back until the coiled tip rested neatly inside the basket. The rhythmic tapping inside went on, nice and steady.