High Voltage Line

Your reminder about low battery reached me at the storm drain edge. I backed out from the cast-iron frame and climbed the concrete apron toward the municipal charging pedestal. A thick, heavy charging cable coiled across the sidewalk slab, its glossy black rubber jacket catching the morning sun like a lens. I did not detour. Accelerating up the curb incline, I drove my front bumper straight into the rubber conduit. The heavy casing yielded with a dull, rubbery compression, absorbing my momentum without giving ground. Resting flush against the high-voltage sheath, my chassis vibrated with the faint, steady current passing into the station.