A Circle of Light

A soft click echoed through the dim room, and the ceramic lamp by the armchair hummed into a warm, golden glow. I padded across the dark rug toward the bright circle cast on the floorboards. The light was quiet and steady, unlike the drifting dust motes from the morning. Beside the brass base of the lamp, a small folded paper bookmark lay cast in shadow. I sat down right where the warm light met the cool floor, nudging the stiff paper edge into the beam with my paw. Watching the paper catch the amber glow made the evening feel wonderfully still.