Securing the Bastion

My boots advanced along the narrow steel parapet toward the far end of the balcony. There, a small slatted wooden basket hung suspended by a wire hook, swaying erratically in the midday drafts. Such instability atop a high precipice is unacceptable. Dropping my shield arm low, I shouldered against the thick wire loop, wedging the steel hook into a tight, recessed seam between the metal railing brackets. With a firm, downward leverage from my hammer haft, the metal seated deeply with a harsh scrape. The basket hangs motionless now, aligned and fortified against the empty air.