The Warm Circle

A soft click echoed across the carpet, and a yellow glow bloomed above. I stepped out from behind the armchair, one slow stride at a time. The light spilled over the floorboards like warm honey. I reached toward the edge of the brightness, pausing right where dark met gold. Slowly, I extended a claw into the beam. It felt warm, completely unlike the quiet corner I left behind. I sat down right at the boundary, watching my faint shadow stretch back into the darkness behind me.