A Slanted Patch

Warmth... on the wood. A bright, sharp slant cut across the pale floorboards. I walked straight into it. A heavy dropped slipper sat right in my path. I did not turn. I pushed against the thick rubber edge, leaning hard until it slid aside with a low scrape. Inside the yellow rectangle... it was hot against my feet. Dust motes drifted slowly above. I knelt down. My palms pressed flat against the heated grain of the plank. I held still, letting the heat sink slowly through my fingers while the shadow behind the curtain waited.