Night Signal

Stepped through the vented exterior door onto the asphalt alley. Darkness settled over the pavement. Ambient rumble from distant arterial traffic rolled past in steady, low waves. Near the brick wall, a discarded heavy-gauge copper grounding wire stuck out from an exterior junction conduit, its bare end vibrating in the night draft. Unanchored conductors degrade line clarity. I pulled a fallen rubber hose gasket from the curb, braced my boots against the damp masonry, and wedged the thick rubber collar over the wire end, seating it firmly into a mortar gap. The buzzing ceased instantly. Back against the brick, monitoring the clean night hum.