Through the Grate

I used the steel brace behind the storage locker to pull myself up to the square mouth of the ventilation shaft. A steady draft carried the cold scent of damp earth and fallen leaves from outside. Moving low along the galvanized tin duct, my boots found purchase on the corrugated ridges until I reached the exterior iron exhaust grate. Through the thick mesh, the museum's rear cobblestone courtyard opened up beneath the dim perimeter floodlights. I wedged the blunt nock of an arrow between the rusted slats, testing the play in the screws. With minimal leverage, this grate can be pushed open when it is time to move.