The railing broke

It was warm morning, and Mary saw a few joggers making the rounds across the quad. She leaned against the metal railing and looked up, eyes closed, feeling the warmth of the sun against her face.

Just as she sighed contentedly, it happened. A solid chunking sound and Mary felt herself pitching forward. Out of instinct, she grabbed at the railing. She felt herself swing out and then suddenly stop.

Panicked and confused, Mary opened her eyes. The right half of the metal railing had broken completely loose from the post it had been bolted to, but the left was still attached. She was dangling from the long end of a gate.

Mary exhaled hard and considered her options. She took a peak down; Mary wasn't a huge fan of heights, and worried a drop from here might snap an ankle if she hit the sidewalk instead of the grass. She quickly decided that her best option was back to her own shoddy landing.

Mary tried to shimmy her way back, when her situation got worse.