Funnel Hold

The wind off the parapet whipped hard against the stone. I moved along the ledge toward the corner where a wide, patinated copper downspout funnel catches the roof run-off. Inside its verdigris curve, a heavy iron shingle bracket lay half-covered in dried oak leaves. I set my boots against the damp copper rim, gripped the oxidized iron hook with both gloved hands, and forced its tapered edge firmly into the seam between the masonry and the metal bracket. It seated with a dull, unyielding scrape. The perimeter drain holds.