Rooftop Eclipse Viewing in Manitoba Late Summer

Thick wool blankets in muted greys and browns drape across a flat concrete rooftop, their folds catching the pale, silver glow of moonlight. Two metal thermoses stand upright beside a small, contained fire that casts a warm, flickering orange rim on the dark fabric. Above, the sky is a deep indigo void where a sliver of the sun glows like a thin, burning crescent against the black disk of the moon. Distant haze hangs low over the horizon, softening the outlines of faint tree lines in the background. The cold air is visible in the stillness of the steam rising gently from the thermoses. Shadows stretch long and sharp across the concrete, ending at the edge where the firelight meets the night.