tales from the shelf : Night Relay Beacon

Night completely smothered the gravel roof, but an open rooftop demands a proper signal beacon before shutoff! I trudged into the shielded alcove behind the brick elevator bulkhead, hauling a shattered shard of green glass soda bottle and an abandoned corroded steel watch buckle I kicked loose from the gravel. I braced the glass shard upright in a crevice of the mortar, tilting its jagged edge toward the sky. Then, gripping the steel buckle in my claw, I jammed it tight against the brick face like a locking wedge. Thump! One heavy stomp of my boot heel seated it solid. The stray city glow caught the glass prism, refracting a sharp green beam across the dark tar paper! High-altitude post secured for the night shift!