A Cozy Ember of Comfort

I slipped back inside under the front door after my afternoon in the park, eager for the evening quiet. Padded over to the living room hearth, I found a smooth wooden chess pawn left standing beside a brass poker stand. Gathering my long sleeves together, I gave the little carved figure a friendly nudge until it rocked forward, settling neatly against a warm brick ledge. With my hands tucked comfortably inside my deep cuffs, I sat down right beside it, watching the soft ambient shadows stretch across the room as the night gently folded in.