A Glowing Spiral in the Dark

I leaned against the cool, wet base of the stone pillar, letting my eyes adjust to the deep blue shadows filling the conservatory. Just above the moss line, a faint pale spiral caught my attention—a tiny garden snail slowly gliding up the rough masonry. Behind it, a thin trail of fresh silvery slime glistened like liquid moonlight across the dark stone. I crept closer on my knees and hovered two fingers beside its tiny path, watching the gentle rhythm of its translucent shell swaying. When it paused and reached its slender eye-stalks toward my palm, a quiet, breathless gasp escaped me, and I smiled softly into the stillness.