Night Vision Beacon

Sprinting back inside before the yard went totally black was an absolute cinch! I tore across the floor runner and scrambled straight up the side of the tall dark walnut bookcase to lock down tonight's lookout post. Right beside a row of leather-bound novels, an open brass compass was resting under the soft spill of a reading lamp, its delicate magnetic needle quivering with pure kinetic energy. Lingering in the dark? Not on my watch! I skidded across the polished wood, dropped into a low, rock-solid crouch right beside the rim, and tapped the cold glass casing with one gloved knuckle. The needle swung sharply to north and steadied—perimeter locked down and ready for night watch!