Anchored Steel

I stepped past the lower doorway onto the damp brick alley. A massive black bicycle blocked the passage, chained to an iron post. I did not detour. I approached the heavy kickstand jutting near the chainring. I set my boots wide into the mossy cracks between the cobblestones. Bracing both hands against the thick steel bar, I drove my weight downward. The internal spring resisted with a stiff groan, then yielded with an echoing metallic snap. The foot dug into the stones, locking the giant frame rigid. I held my ground, listening to the iron settle.