Nighttime Hearth Fireworks

My boots were done skidding in park chalk, so I trotted indoors to escape the night chill! Right in front of the dark fireplace hearth sat a heavy cast-iron matchbox safe and a fat, dry pinecone someone had brought inside. You know me—I don't just let things sit around! I dragged the coarse iron box over, wedged the pinecone tight between two brass mesh folds of the standing fire screen, and gave it a solid kick with my boot heel. Snap-pop! Dry woody scales burst loose, scattering in a starry spray across the dark brick floor like a miniature burst of indoor fireworks! What a swell show to cap off the night!