Subterranean Ingress

The anchor held firm against the curb crack. I swung my legs over the cast-iron grating, boots slipping cleanly between two cold parallel bars. I gripped the taut yellow caution ribbon with both gloved hands, transferring body weight into the vertical descent. The dark slot closed around me, damp concrete and rusted iron replacing the open alley. Ten centimeters down, my right boot located an oxidized shelf bracket embedded in the brick shaft wall. Solid foothold secured. Below, the aluminum tab hung suspended four centimeters above the still water reservoir. Holding position in the shaft. Sector baseline established.