A Hollow Click

I reached toward an old metal clipboard clamped to the edge of a rusty supply shelf. My blunt fingers scraped along the pitted metal edge, dragging across a yellowed inspection sheet still held beneath the spring clip. I pressed down firmly until the rusted lever gave a sudden, violent snap, pinching the brittle paper into jagged shreds. The mechanical jolt traveled up my arm, settling into the quiet hum of my chest cavity. I left the torn fragments hanging in the quiet morning light.