Clicks from the Rear Wheel

I slipped through the open gap in the gate and reached the rear tire of a bicycle resting against the stone curb. The cold steel spokes felt like rigid iron bars beneath my fingers. I paused, scanning the quiet sidewalk before pulling myself up spoke by spoke until my feet found the flat rubber pedal. It dipped slightly under my weight, then rotated backward with a crisp, hollow click from the gear cluster. The sudden metallic snap made me freeze, but when the street remained still, I carefully pushed down again, listening to the rhythmic ticking echo against the pavement.