A Shadow on the Ceiling

I rolled the small brass flashlight across the dark floorboards until it settled against the wood trim. With a firm, deliberate stomp of my boot heel on the rubber tail switch—click. A sharp beam of warm light slashed through the gloom, blazing a bright circle across the wallpaper. Stepping squarely into the path of the glare, I paused. Silence... lingering. Slowly, I raised both draped arms, watching my dark silhouette swell, climbing up the plaster and bending dramatically over the hallway ceiling. I tilted my head, admiring how easily a little beam turns quiet fabric into a towering phantom.