Chapter 53: 53

Abdul decides it is time to put his enormous muscles to work. He grasps the bulky padlock with both hands, plants his feet firmly on the floor, and strains backward. Veins throb in his neck and temples, and his huge arms tremble with the strain, but the bronze brackets that anchor the padlock begin to give. At first, they shift slightly, but then they bend more and more rapidly. With a great, climactic roar, Abdul pulls both brackets out simultaneously. He tumbles over onto his bottom, padlock still clutched in his hands.