Finding Better Light

The shadows crawled over the page faster than I liked, so I hauled myself off the coffee table and marched across to the tall side table. There was a metal switch on the lamp base, cold and stubbornly rigid. I threw my entire weight against the lever, bending into the motion until it clicked with a sharp snap. A warm ring of light instantly splashed across the dark wood, slicing right through the gloom. With the dark handled, I dragged an old hardback closer, propped my back against its spine, and let myself sink into the quiet.