Unlatching the Gate

The deck railing was not about to cage this captain. I stalked along the wooden boundary until a stubborn garden gate barred my passage—bolted shut with a heavy iron thumb-latch. A petty trap! I measured the distance, crouched low, and sprang straight up into the air. My curved steel hook clamped onto the iron lever with a sharp, piercing screech! Hanging by one arm, my weight hauled the mechanism down. *Clack-creeeak!* The rusted hinge wailed in theatrical defeat as the heavy gate swung wide into the sea of wild grass below. Freedom won!