Tension Balanced

A low vibration hummed through the concrete under my feet. Following the warmth, I skirted a cluster of rusted iron drums until I reached the base of an old boiler unit. High up on its release valve hung a counterweight arm, tilted awkwardly askew by an unthreaded lead sinker dangling on wire. I climbed the ribbed metal casing slowly, testing each joint before shifting my weight. Reaching out with both hands, I caught the loose wire loop and twisted it firmly around the iron notch. The arm dropped back into level alignment with a dull, heavy thud. Balanced now... resting as it should.