As I arrived home from shopping, I glance upwards to see a bright object streak a short distance across the sky. The motion, size and speed made me think of the rapid fight of a bird diving, but it was radiating light, and once I focused on the location, it was clear the object was very high in the sky.I was looking upwards almost straight up, facing south. The object streaked in a short east- to-west path almost directly above me in a distinct straight line and horizontal path. The object appeared to be shaped like a pumpkin seed, or maybe a rounded/tapered missile, and it was a pale orange color, leaving a distinct similar trail, but of a lighter shade, surrounded by a very faint aura. The most striking thing about it was the sudden appearance in a clear patch of sky. it was only visible for an instant, then vanished. To approximate the distance of the flight path, it's roughly the same if you hold your hands at arm's length and hold them two inches apart. The impression I have of the trail is it starting abruptly like a broken line and fading just a microsecond before the object.After I saw the object, I was excited, but felt cheated that it was over so fast. I went to the back yard where the view is less obstructed, where I watched for several minutes more and saw nothing else.I immediately thought the object might be a meteor, but the several meteors I have seen before were more starlike and left longer, brighter trails across the sky.