The Bent Rudder Arm

A sandy landing field in New Jersey on an overcast day in May, soft grey light and wet scrub grass, in the foreground on two wooden trestles a long box-shaped lattice girder of riveted duralumin two metres long, its dull grey metal stained and darkened, dense rows of rivets, triangular cut-outs and flat gusset plates along its sides, both ends bent and torn open, one crumpled sheet of metal standing out at an angle, far behind it soft in the haze the tall dark tangle of a fallen airship framework, two investigators in dark raincoats and hats seen from directly behind, faces turned fully away, one pointing at the torn end.