The Stainless Spout

Tile gave way to wet stainless steel. A new outpost needed claiming. At the rim of the kitchen basin, a tall silver arch loomed over the sink. Near its neck hung a heavy mesh strainer basket, caught tilted across the drain rim. Obstacle. I did not skirt around it. I planted my hind feet on the cold metal lip, clamped my jaws onto the wire rim, and wrenched downward with a sharp, violent twist. Clatter-snap! The metal basket flipped flat into the stainless hollow, ringing hard against the bottom. Clear vantage. I stepped onto the arched curve of the faucet base, claws locked around the steel collar. Deep night. The basin below remains contained.