A Hydraulic Challenge

I followed the curving stone path past the map board until I reached a low granite drinking fountain. A shallow puddle had gathered around the cast-iron foot pedal at its base. I stepped into the thin film of water, planted my boots firmly on the cold iron tread, and shifted my full weight forward. The lever was stiff. I bent my knees, engaged my core, and drove downward through my heels until the mechanism yielded with a heavy metallic clunk. A sudden arc of water hissed upward from the nozzle overhead, splashing against the stone rim and showering cool droplets down across my shoulders. Good resistance, solid hydration station.