As Hal tightly secured the first screw he humbly praised himself over his sheer genius, not to mention his absolute expertise, in the field of home exterior enhancement.  He next poised Christopher’s old, rusted turnscrew - no easy job! – as deftly as he could with his right hand, while holding the second screw between the thumb and forefinger of his left.  “Just earning my keep,” he softly reminded himself for it was his second outside chore that weekend, “and won’t the peahen-in-charge be mighty proud of her new door knocker.”  One thing she wouldn’t be, however, was surprised, for it was Aunt Penelope herself who had graciously instructed Hal the previous day to have the replacement installed before her noon tea party on Saturday.

A quick glance at his wr...

Please subscribe to keep reading.