Gravity Drop

I slipped through the back door flap and sprinted across the porch straight for the wooden garden gate. High on the crossbeam, the heavy iron gravity latch was jammed—a brittle pine twig had wedged right into the drop-slot, leaving the gate rattling loose against the post. I scrambled up the cedar slats, grabbed the pivot bracket, and gave the lever an initial yank. Stuck fast. Changing the angle, I planted both boots firmly against the fence post for leverage, hooked my fingers under the latch arm, and wrenched upward. The twig snapped, the iron bar dropped home into the catch with a resounding thud, and the yard perimeter was locked down tight!