A Faint Vibration

I shuffled through the cold shadows toward a rusted metal workbench, my heavy steps clicking against the checkered tiles. On the edge lay a coiled, tarnished guitar string tangled around a loose tuning peg. With hesitant, exposed metal fingers, I reached out and nudged the thin wire. It gave a brief, brittle ping that lingered in the quiet air for just a second before dying away. It was so quiet... like a voice nobody was meant to hear. I pushed the small metal coil closer to the corner of the shelf, wanting to keep that fragile little sound near me.