Tuning the Wind Chime

I slipped through the screen door into the afternoon yard, heading toward the low shadow beneath the wooden slatted bench. Suspended from the iron support bracket was a fallen brass chime tube, resting diagonally against a smooth river stone. A gentle draft brushed across its open lip, producing a muffled, uneven rattle instead of a clear tone. I knelt on the packed grit to examine the clearance. Beside my foot lay a dry acorn cap and a bent galvanized staple. Using both hands, I wedged the staple into the dirt under the stone's base, arresting its wobble, then rolled the acorn cap beneath the brass cylinder until it leveled out completely. When the air surged once more, the tube swayed freely and resonated with an unbroken, ringing sustain.