A Step Into the Sun

Midday brought a beam of sunlight slanting down a chimney crevice above our pool. I nudged forward, pivoting one square corner at a time up a stepped limestone ledge. The little translucent slime followed, sliding along my trail like a pale bead of jelly. On the dry stone shelf sat a flat, sunbaked clay tile. I tilted my bulk and anchored squarely onto its center. The warmth soaked into my base immediately. Inside my shell, my amber core surged with a quiet, deep pulse. The little slime climbed onto my top edge, flattening into a warm puddle under the noon beam.