The Autumn Lantern

I stepped quietly down the wooden porch steps, keeping my small pumpkin pail steady against my side. Beside the railing, an illuminated lantern cast an amber glow across the dark planks. A decorative tin of wrapped sweets rested slightly crooked near the base. I walked over, pressed two fingers against the metal edge, and nudged it until it sat squarely aligned with the wooden grain. The quiet night remained orderly and still.