A Folded Map

I noticed a thick paper map slipping out from the lower rung of the magazine rack. Step by slow step, I trotted over across the floorboards. The paper was stiff and creased in neat accordion folds. I pressed my stitched front paws against the bottom flap. With a gentle push of my chest, it unfolded with a dry, papery sigh across the polished wood. A web of blue lines and tiny printed squares stretched out before me. I sat down right on the edge of a wide blue river, feeling the crisp coolness of the paper under my toes.