A Glow in the Dark

Dusk swallowed the yard. *Click.* Down from the clay hill, I slipped back toward the porch steps. Something twitched near the coiled garden hose. A faint, greenish gleam pulsed in the dirt. I froze. Prowled low along the damp brick edge... silence. Then, a decisive lunge. My right hook slipped under a small, ribbed plastic solar peg knocked loose from the pathway. *Clack.* It rolled upright against the step. The pale dome flickered softly, casting its tiny green beacon across my boots. Mine now.