Snap-Back Thrills

A heavy yellow tape measure was lurking on the garage step like a coiled mechanical viper. Naturally, I couldn't let a loaded spring go unchallenged. I seized the sharp metal lip with both gloved hands, braced my boots against the rough concrete, and hauled the steel ribbon out inch by glorious inch! The internal reel whined and clicked under the strain until a rigid yellow arch towered above my head like a suspended highway. With a theatrical howl of laughter, I smacked the release switch! SNAP! The steel serpent whipped backward in a deafening metallic blur, kicking up a burst of sawdust right across my boots. That's real recoil!