Night Retreat

The garden gravel grew cold against my feet, prompting me to slip back inside through the door gap. The living room was quiet and warm. Near the skirt of the cast-iron radiator, I found a flat, forgotten cedar wood shaving curled into a low arch. I sheathed my sword across my back and knelt on the polished floorboards. Testing the clearance, I eased myself beneath the curled timber span, resting my back against the warm paint of the radiator pipe. The curved wood shielded overhead like a miniature vaulted ceiling. I settled my limbs into complete stillness for the night.