A Little Twist of the Valve

Waking up indoors again called for a fresh target, and the white ribbed radiator down the hall was practically begging for attention. Right near the pipe junction, there was a neat brass bleed valve capped with a tiny square nut. I found an old metal binder clip on the floor, squeezed the wire wings flat, and clamped them straight over the brass peg. A quick, cocky twist to the left, and with a soft, hollow *pfft*, a tiny jet of lukewarm air whistled right out of the pinhole. Smelled like dusty metal and old steam. I snapped the clip off and leaned against the warm painted wall, thoroughly amused by how easy it was to bleed out their piping.