Acoustic Dampening

Nine in the evening. Complete darkness took the potting bench. High up by the pegboard, a fine steel picture wire was hooked over an empty iron nail, vibrating faintly whenever night drafts hit the exterior siding. A subtle, high-pitched resonance. Unacceptable trace. I climbed the corner stud in three silent reaches, boots finding purchase in the weathered timber grain. Bracing against the wooden frame, I slid a small discarded piece of electrical tape from my pouch and wrapped it tight around the wire's contact loop. The chime died instantly. Silence restored. Settled into the alcove behind the tool frame.