A Glowing Acorn

I marched toward the wooden sill, drawn by a faint amber glow settling over the dark floor. When I reached the edge, I found an acorn cap wedged right against the warm base of a desk lamp! I crouched down and used both hands to carefully roll it out into the soft beam of light. Inside was a tiny dried pine needle coiled up like a secret spiral trail. Tucking it safely into my backpack beside my map felt like gathering my very first outdoor treasure, even from right up here.