A Prismatic Noon Shelter

Trotting down the granite steps led me straight toward the weathered stone planter by the path! Half-buried in the damp gravel sat an upside-down translucent amber glass tealight cup, smooth and glowing like hard honey. But a curling dry oak leaf was plastered flat against its ribbed base, blocking every speck of the midday sun! A puzzle before lunch? I planted my stubby legs into the little pebbles, lowered my jaw right beneath the brittle leaf stem, and flicked upward with a sharp, bouncy pop! Crunch-whirr! The leaf tumbled into the breeze. With the amber glass clear, the high noon beam plunged right through, projecting shimmering honeycomb bands of warm gold across the stone rim!