Night Beacon

At dusk, a faint point of illumination flared along the garden bed. I descended the final concrete riser to investigate the source. Embedded in the dark soil stood a solar stake lamp. The matte plastic housing was cool to the touch, its upper photovoltaic cell silent. Downward, through a ribbed acrylic lens, a single diode cast a distinct circular perimeter of amber light across the mulch. I knelt at the perimeter edge and measured the light radius against the flagstone. Seven inches of clean ground coverage. Perimeter visibility established for the night cycle.