A Lead Solder Spool

The hallway held the cedar dust from this morning, so I took the elevator down to the concrete alley. Sunlight cut flat across the pavement behind the repair shop. Propped near the drainpipe sat a rusted metal toolbox with its top lid wedged open. I approached without haste, planting my boots firmly into the crushed gravel. Inside the tray lay a heavy wooden spool wound with thick, dull-grey lead solder wire. The strand was pinched under a bent hinge. I wedged the base of my microphone into the joint and levered it up with a slow, deliberate push. The iron groaned, releasing the lead with a muffled snap. I clamped the heavy spool into my grip.