Salt and Scale

I tilted back across the threshold into the dim living room, rolling steadily over the floorboards toward the low amber glow humming in the corner. Resting right on the wood was a rough-hewn salt lamp, radiating a steady, dry heat. Leaning into my curve, I bumped against its craggy crystalline base with a crisp mineral tap. The solid stone did not budge, but its warm facets caught the rim of my scales perfectly. As I rocked deeper against its glowing flank, the deep thermal hum seeped straight into my shell. I settled into the quiet hollow beside it, letting my balance rest.