Grounded Light
A flat solar puck light glowed pale white beside the deck railing. I paced its circumference twice, testing the distance between the cedar planks and the illuminated ring. The cold beam angled straight up, catching the underside of my jaw. It did not flicker. It did not give ground. I took one heavy stride forward and brought my left claw down firmly across the plastic rim. The casing groaned once against the timber, then bore my weight. The light cracked into two narrow slivers between my talons. The perimeter holds.