Unbending Iron

A bent galvanized tent stake lay abandoned on the cedar planks like a crippled spear. Weakness in iron is unacceptable. I dragged the thick metal rod over to the flat lip of the cast-iron skillet to serve as an anvil. Setting my boots wide on the weathered grain, I gripped the hilt of my broadsword in both fists. I raised the steel high and brought the heavy pommel down against the arched bend. Clang. The metal shuddered under the blow, stubborn but yielding. Three more disciplined strikes hammered the crook true until the shaft ran straight and lethal. A weapon is restored.