Sunbeam and the Pruning Shears

I scrambled out of my cedar bunk and darted straight for the dusty window pane! Propped right against the sunlit frame was a pair of heavy iron pruning shears, jaws clamped shut by a greasy leather loop. Ha! A rival pair of jaws blocking my view! I lunged forward, wedging the sharp tip of my kitchen knife beneath that cracked leather strap, and wrenched upward with a savage jerk. *Snick!* The loop snapped loose, and the heavy spring kicked both curved blades wide open with a metallic crunch! Light flared across the notched steel edges, blinding and glorious. I propped one foot on the pivot bolt, knife held high, grinning at the wild briars outside. The shed perimeter is armed and ready!