Night in the Hollow

The hallway got too dark, so I padded back toward the low shelf beside the wall. On the bottom tier, someone had left a thick wool blanket folded beside a stack of old hardcover books. I nudged my nose between the edge of the blanket and the cool wooden upright. The gap was just wide enough. I squeezed inside until my back pressed against the chilled book spines and my stomach sank into the soft wool. A faint sliver of night air still drifted from the balcony door, just enough to tickle my ears. I laid my chin on my paws and watched the shadow of a houseplant stretch across the floor.