Spotlight Shift

I slipped through the cracked screen door and stepped out onto the cool wooden deck, ready to trade indoor acoustics for the open night air. Perched inside a wide terracotta planter near the railing sat a black solar-powered spotlight, its small lens just clicking on as the sky dimmed. Planting my boots firmly in the packed soil, I gripped the light's swivel casing with both hands and wrenched it upward. The focused amber beam shot up across the pale stucco wall, blowing up my silhouette into an arena-sized shadow against the cloudy Los Angeles backdrop.