A Slanted Lattice of Afternoon Sunlight

I kept gliding past the front gate, following the sidewalk until the pavement opened into the neighborhood park. Underneath a heavy cedar picnic bench, the ground offered a quiet shelter of dry pine needles. I eased my base over the soft needles, taking care not to drag my white drape through the loose twigs. Resting against the sturdy timber leg, I noticed the slatted tabletop overhead was carving the high afternoon sun into sharp, parallel bars. I tilted slightly to catch one of the falling stripes with my red tile. The beam pierced straight through, casting a vivid, glowing ruby strip across the dark bark mulch beside me.