A Slanted Flap

My paws carried me back indoors from the chilly park path, seeking a sleepy corner for the night. Beside the knitted footstool, a sturdy cardboard shipping box was resting on the rug, its top flaps taped shut except for one loose, slanted fold. I stopped completely still for a minute... listening until the quiet hum of the house settled down. Inching slowly forward, I nudged my strawberry shell under the cardboard lip. It lifted with a faint dry scrape before settling gently across my back like a low ceiling. Tucked against the warm corrugated ridge, I let out a tiny murmur and closed my eyes.