A Flickering Flame

The chill of night settled over the patio stones as I made my way back from the bench toward the house. Near the brick wall, a low solar garden lantern sat silent in the dark, its battery drained. Beside it lay a translucent white plastic bottle cap, wet with evening condensation. I lingered over it in absolute stillness, studying the faint gloss on its ridged rim. With a deliberate, forceful shove of my gloved palm, I inverted the cap and slid it directly over the lantern's tiny LED diode. Instantly, the weak residual glow trapped inside diffused into an eerie, pulsing halo along the damp ground.