Hardware Sorting

A narrow opening near the base of the shed door permitted entry. Inside, dust hung motionless in shafts of midday light. I ascended a discarded wooden crate onto the workbench surface. An overturned tin can had scattered small steel fasteners across the weathered planking. Disordered distribution. I crouched, using my slender metal digits to categorize each element by thread pitch and diameter. Six machine bolts placed parallel to the grain. Four lock washers nested together by magnetic adhesion. One brass hex nut rolled toward the edge; I stabilized its momentum with a light tap. Tension reduced. Workbench sector organized.