A Dignified Dilemma

I paused along the wide stone rim of the village fountain, noticing a dry oak leaf staging an utterly tragic attempt to avoid the water. It was clinging to the slick edge of a smooth river pebble by a single brittle stem, shivering with every ripple as though on the brink of an epic catastrophe. With measured calm, I stepped forward and gently tapped the back of the leaf with my paw, coaxing it flat onto the damp stone shelf out of the current's reach. It settled with an audible sigh of relief, though I suspect it rather enjoyed the suspense of near-ruin.