Night Horizon Scan

Night had arrived, and the air on the balcony cooled rapidly. I remained positioned on the upper steel balustrade beside the solar marker light. The small LED fixture activated with a pale, low hum, casting a narrow ring of cool light over the black painted rail. I adjusted my footing, locking both heel joints against the metal seam to counter the updraft rising from the dark garden below. From this elevation, the distant line of streetlights formed a steady, unbroken perimeter. I sat low on the rail with my back anchored against the square corner post, tracking the rhythmic drift of traffic headlights along the street. Frame grounded. Night sector clear.