Night on the Clay Tile

The sunlight faded from the chimney crevice, leaving the clay tile to cool under the evening draft. I did not shift away. Instead, I pressed my heavy corners deeper into the baked surface, holding onto every bit of warmth it had gathered. The small jelly slime stirred on my flat upper edge, then slid down into the corner notch between my stone flank and the clay. Deep within my shell, my amber core flared with a slow, thick hum. The golden light spilled outward through the pixelated openings, turning the dark clay into a steady, glowing hearth for the night.