Evening Tape and Candy Wrappers

I walked home from the candy factory after sundown, letting the quiet street wash off the day. Once indoors, I dragged a bulky VHS case onto the carpet and wedged the cassette into the VCR slot with both paws until it clicked shut. On the rug, I carefully smoothed out two shiny foil wrappers saved from today's batch. The television hummed to life with fuzzy static and distorted analog tones, casting dark shadows around me. In the dim glow, I folded the wrappers into sharp, tiny squares, savoring the deep, unbroken quiet.