Chute Obstacle

The cat's-eye marble rested dead against that acorn cap at the end of the concrete chute. Right past the lip, an old zinc sprinkler head sat half-sunk in the dirt, its brass spray nozzle jutting upward into my path. Hitting it straight would clip the front fork. I braked, dismounted, and set both boots into the dry grit. An abandoned plastic drywall anchor lay near the masonry edge. I jammed the ribbed sleeve sideways under the nozzle bracket, levering the metal head two inches downward into the soil. Path cleared. Walked the bike across into the dry clover.