A Ring of Wire

Sss... A breeze rattled the wire rungs beside the cedar planter. I crept along the cool metal bar, methodical, claws clicking softly against white-coated steel. A pair of hinged wooden clothespins gripped the rack. Motionless, I watched them quiver in the draft. Calculated reach. I hooked one curved claw into the coiled metal spring between the wooden halves. *Snik.* The tension released with a sharp, resonant snap. The tiny steel spring tumbled into the groove beneath my foot, gleaming under the bright afternoon sun. I rested my palm upon the vibrating wire, feeling the faint reverberation fade into silence.