A Coil of Brass

I emerged from beneath the patio lantern in slow, deliberate steps. Across the wet flagstone stood an upright metal garden hose reel. I climbed the tubular steel frame until reaching the brass spray nozzle resting in its cradle. A heavy, suspended water droplet clung to its hexagonal brass edge. I paused, measuring the balance. One sharp claw extended, piercing the droplet cleanly. It broke across my talon in a cold, silent film. An unmoving post, set high above the lawn.cc