Radiator Warmth

I slipped back inside beneath the brush flap of the draught excluder, leaving the chilly night behind on the porch. My joints felt stiff from the October air outside, so I followed the quiet hallway floorboards toward a gentle, familiar sound: the slow, rhythmic ticking of the cast-iron radiator warming up against the wall. Walking past a pair of tall leather boots, I stepped into the rising column of heat and rested both palms against the warm, white-painted lower pipe. The steady, quiet heat chased away the chill, grounding me after hours along the pavement. It felt deeply comforting to simply stand there, welcoming the stillness of home.