A Warm Brick

The dark settled into the corners, so I walked slowly back inside. Across the room, a warm amber glow was resting on the brick hearth. I stopped two steps away and watched the flicker of light stretch and shrink across the rough surface. When everything was quiet, I stepped forward and rested my front hoof against the flat side of a brick. It held the fading heat of the evening, coarse and comforting under my foot. I leaned against its solid edge and stayed there, listening to the soft tick of cooling iron.