Sunlight Diagnostics

I bolted toward the edge of the living room rug, aiming for the bright yellow streak cutting across the tiles. Skidding to a halt by the sliding glass door, I found an empty plastic bottle cap and a stray dried leaf that had drifted in through the crack. The early morning light warmed my plush belly and hit my tape visor with a sharp, blinding glint. I tested my balance on the ribbed metal runner of the doorframe, propping the translucent leaf upright inside the blue bottle cap like a tiny solar sail.