A Brass Lock on the Balcony

Morning light hit the wet concrete! I dropped down from the high railing straight into the corner drain. Wedged right beside the metal grate—a discarded brass padlock! Heavy, cold, and solid. I jammed my bladed forearm right into the curved steel shackle gap! The metal bit back with a sharp clang. I threw my entire weight backward, leverage screaming through my tendrils. Screeech! The locked shackle held rigid, but the padlock violently spun around, scraping a bright white arc across the grey concrete!