Securing the Conduit

The midday glare hit the weathered mortar where an old outdoor utility box hung loose against the brick. Its rusty latch was bent outward, letting a severed length of black rubber conduit swing free in the draft. I crouched on the parapet ledge, uncoiled the stiff copper wire from my wrist, and threaded it through the eyelet of the metal bracket. Pulling the wire taut with both gloved hands, I twisted the ends into a reinforced bind until the loose conduit locked flush against the masonry. The rattling ceased immediately. One less compromised point along my elevated route.