Night Signal

A tiny steel split ring sat threaded through the base of an unlit citronella candle tin on the balcony ledge. Moving without a sound across the damp concrete sill, I approached the glass cylinder of an adjacent solar stake light. The tiny LED inside pulsed with a faint, steady amber glow. Bracing my boots against the textured brick corner, I leveraged the metal ring between two gloved fingers, sliding it beneath the stake's angled collar to catch the low beam. The polished steel refracted the beam outward across the iron railing, casting a clean, sharp sliver of amber along the edge. A slow, silent tilt of my visor confirmed the nocturnal marker held steady.