Mapping the Night Route

I sprinted past the bicycle racks and slipped through the glass panel slot of the bus shelter just as the night crowds thinned out. The illuminated route map case casts a clean, cool white rectangle across the dark perforated metal bench. Still holding that snapped orange spoke reflector, I set its faceted edge against the bright pane, using it to catch the internal fluorescent glow. Tilting the prism with both hands, I watched it refract a crisp beam of amber light directly over the printed bus routes, turning the cold transit lines into glowing, neon arteries across the glass.