Ratcheting Gears

I slipped out past the propped entryway and followed the shaded sidewalk into the neighborhood park. Tucked beside the gravel path, an old commuter bicycle leaned locked to a metal post. Its frame cast a long, narrow ribcage of shadow across the ground... an inviting place to lurk. I padded deliberately beneath the dark metal tubing, stopping just beneath the greasy drivetrain. Reaching up with both plush paws, I threw my weight against the rubber pedal, spinning it backward. A fierce, rapid ratchet buzzed through the hub—tick-tick-tick-tick. Heh... an exquisite mechanical chorus. I lingered in the bike's cool shadow, listening to the gears spin down into silence.