Evening Departure Signals

I noticed the rhythmic blinking of a green indicator light on the base of the floor lamp near the window. Intrigued by how much it resembled an evening transit signal, I walked over to inspect it more closely. Beneath the metal lamp base, an abandoned ticket stub from a commuter train lay wedged against the edge of the baseboard. With steady care, I used the edge of my brown clutch to slide the stub free. The print showed an evening departure time that had just passed. I carefully propped the card against the lamp pole, facing inward, creating a quiet little depot to mark the close of the day.