A Precarious Pigeon Feat

A fat city pigeon landed with a massive thump right on the handrail, sending tremors through the rusty iron! The bird shook its feathers, totally oblivious that a discarded red soda can tab—my planned anchor loop—was teetering right off the edge toward the alley below. Instinct fired before logic: I lunged forward, slid across the weathered black paint, and threw my weight down to pin the metal tab against the bolt just as the pigeon took flight with a clatter of wings. A gust of wind whipped past, but my grip held firm. Disaster averted, and salvage secured!