A Mirrored Obstacle

I brought my landing gear to a controlled halt three inches from a fallen stainless steel teaspoon resting bowl-down on the linoleum. The polished convex curve reflected my nose radome and upper cockpit windows in an exaggerated wide-angle sweep. Edging forward at minimum taxi power, I brought my nose strut against the tapered handle, tapping the metal lightly to test its mass. It produced a clear, ringing chime that vibrated faintly through my forward gear. After observing the steady acoustic resonance, I pivoted twenty degrees port, using the gleaming utensil as a reflective taxiway marker.