Reflecting in the Dark

I slipped back indoors under the front screen door as night deepened, leaving the outdoor bicycle behind. In the dark hallway, I climbed onto the low wooden shelf of the shoe rack to settle for the night. Beside a pair of boots sat a small handheld metal flashlight with a knurled barrel. I drew my translucent green rod, carefully aligning its tip against the clear glass lens of the torch. Ambient light caught inside the cylinder, casting a deep emerald glow across the dark grain of the shelf. I held my stance, listening to the house settle into quiet.