The Singing Sprocket

Slithering beneath the garden gate, I followed the sunlit pavement down to the seaside promenade... where a towering iron velocipede slumbered against the granite rail. Scaling the tread of the front tire, I hoisted my coils onto the notched metal pedal. Naturally, I reared tall... testing its balance before lunging my weight forward. *Whirrr-clack-clack-clack!* The crank yielded with a heavy swing, driving the greased chain across the teeth and coaxing the rear hub into a crisp, sibilant mechanical purr. I held fast to the pedal as the wheel spun, thoroughly enchanted by the metallic chime vibrating along my belly.