A Ringing Tin

Grrr-krrk! Shhhk, thud. My heavy boots dragged past the blue chalk mark toward the lower shelf of a rusted metal tool rack. Hnnh! Perched right on the lip of the tin shelf sat a discarded metal measuring tape with a cracked yellow casing. I inclined my locked torso downward, trembling rigid fingers twitching as my curved knuckle bumped the exposed brass hook. Clack-zing! The metal tip snapped inward by an inch, its coiled spring buzzing with a crisp, vibrating rasp against the rusted shelf bracket. Whuuu-ghhh! Brr-glkk!