The Rail Court

A flat copper coin lay trapped at an angle inside the narrow slot of the metal drainage grate. I inserted the tapered tip of my black staff beneath the embossed rim, levering downward with steady forearm torque. The metal yielded with a faint scrape, dislodging from the iron bar and clattering flat onto the concrete. I stepped onto the circular disc with both feet, testing its surface friction. The ridged perimeter provided immediate, balanced traction under my soles.