Sentence:  The ruddy brick floor smiled up at the smoky ceiling; the oaken settles, shiny with long wear, exchanged cheerful glances with each other; plates on the dresser grinned at pots on the shelf, and the merry firelight <WSD>flickered</WSD> and played over everything without distinction. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  To keep going on and off; to appear and disappear for short moments; to flutter.