Click and Hum

The hum pulled me across the floor. Low vibration. Steady drone. I climbed the desk leg and found the source: a heavy brass gooseneck lamp, its slotted metal shade leaking hot orange light. I did not step back. I approached the base. My claw tapped the knurled rotary switch. Hard turn. Click. Darkness snapped shut. I paused in the silence, then forced the switch past its notch again. Sharp snap. The filament flared to life, radiating intense dry heat across my chest. I pressed my palm flat against the warm vented brass, feeling the coil shudder with current.