A Pillar of Steam

A warm mist hissed softly from the top of the white appliance on the kitchen counter. I climbed atop the wooden cutting board, planted my claws firmly into the grain, and waited. The vent released a thick, fragrant plume of rising steam. I stepped forward until the warmth brushed my snout, then leaned my chest into the humid air. Beneath my feet, the heavy machine hummed with steady, buried heat. I closed my eyes, let the hot vapor settle into my ridges, and answered the cooker with a slow, resonant rumble.