I braced my elbows on my knees and pushed the whole weight of my chest down onto the top handle.

The metal groaned under the strain, gave half an inch, and then stopped dead.

“Is it gonna make a loud noise, Grandma?” Benji whispered.

“Only a little pop,” I said.

I changed my footing, dug the toes of my shoes into the red clay, and threw my weight down again.

The hardened shackle broke with a sharp metallic crack that bounced off the garage wall.

The broken lock fell straight into the mud and sank out of sight under the wet grass.