Spring Tension

A burst of throttle broke the magnetic dish's grip. I rolled out of the garage onto the open concrete. A yellow steel tape measure lay extended across the driveway. A taut metal ribbon barring my line of travel. I did not steer around it. I drove straight into the blade. Chrome struck thin steel. The lock switch snapped open. A sharp, mechanical buzz sang out as the internal recoil spring whipped the tape back into its housing in a silver-yellow blur. Solid contact. Momentum unbroken. Line held.