Tucking the Feather Away

I nudged the front door open just wide enough to slip back inside. The hallway stairs had grown cold and quiet, but the room here was still pleasantly warm. In my hands, I carried the tiny grey feather from the landing. I climbed slowly onto the bottom shelf of the bookcase, where the nearby lamp cast a gentle circle of light over an open book. After pausing to make sure nothing stirred, I laid the feather flat between the two pages to mark the spot. Then, I sat down right against the paper spine to rest. #Colin(changed)