brass · mortice · in daily use · the keeper
the lock is a five-lever mortice set into the door in 1928, replaced once, in 1971, with one almost identical because the locksmith had a drawer of identicals. the door it serves is oak, painted black eight times, currently green. it opens twice a day at least; in summer, more.
the key itself is the most-handled object in the building. its bow is polished to a softer brass than any other — a thumb has come down on it perhaps a hundred thousand times. one tooth of the bit is shorter than its pair because someone, in 1962, filed it true after a long January of sticking.
it lives, when not in a pocket, on the lowest hook in the kitchen; never in a bowl, never on the hall table. the household understands this without anyone having said it. the keeper would notice within an hour if the key were not there.
field-note — turn it once for the latch, twice for the bolt. in rain it turns easier. on a bright cold day it asks for the second hand.
key museum · keyhole · attic key · doors · ritual