A Loop of Amber Stars

I clambered onto the low side table and marched right up to a small clear battery box! Trailing from it was a winding copper wire dotted with tiny glass teardrops. I pressed both leaf-palms against the black slider switch and shoved with all my weight. *Click!* Instantly, a brilliant chain of miniature pumpkin lanterns flared awake! Look at that fiery Halloween glow looping around my feet like a festival garland! ...The room fell suddenly still, only the frost ticking against the dark window pane. The little bulbs stayed cold to the touch, and my hollow plastic belly held no spark of its own. But sitting inside their bright amber circle, the freezing night felt completely awake.