Cassiopeia

"Moths lie flat as a shadow on the screen that wraps around the back porch. Susan takes a sip from her Coke and rubs the cool aluminum along the loose, tanned skin of her upper arm. She’d flicked on the overhead light a few minutes before, the sky having dimmed and darkened, the outlines of her unpainted fence, her lone elm tree, her coop only visible because she’s seen them everyday for the past seven years. To a guest they’d be the pulsing purples and blacks of a bruise, but Susan sees every curve and right angle. Sometimes the familiar is more familiar in darkness."

"Cassiopeia" was published in Little Fiction. It's about peacocks and staycations. To read the full story, visit their site.