Golden Reflector

A stray square of golden confectioner's foil lay flat in the seam between the floorboards. The foil was uncreased, burnished to a mirror sheen. Stepping close, I tested its featherlight weight with the tip of my boot; it floated an inch before settling flush against the dark timber. Crouching low, I pinched the foil's edge between two fingers and bent the thin metal leaf into a precise upright half-fold. As sunlight slanted beneath the counter, the angled surface caught the beam, throwing a bright, steady wedge of amber light into the dark alcove behind me. A quiet transformation of shadow into illumination.