A Flickering Stage

The yard grew cold and quiet, so I crept up the porch steps to head toward home... but something stopped me. Sitting on the weathered floorboards was an old tin lantern with star-shaped cutouts. Peeking inside, I spotted an LED tealight. Heh. I wriggled right through the open glass latch, planted my paper feet against the tiny black switch, and kicked it. Click. A warm, jittery glow ignited instantly beneath me, shooting beams through every star perforation into the dark porch. Towering shadow constellations erupted across the siding. Now that... was a curtain call.