A Little Mast

I nudged the mother-of-pearl button out from the damp moss onto a smooth, sun-warmed flagstone. I stopped... and tilted my head. Right beside my paw lay two stiff brown pine needles joined at their cap. Carefully, using the tip of my nose, I guided one slender needle toward the button's center. With a gentle tap, it slid cleanly through a tiny round hole, catching against the stone. I guided the second needle through the opposite hole until both stood firmly upright. Anchored in the pearly disc, they rose like twin masts. I tucked my front paws beneath my chest, watching their thin shadows stretch across the gray stone.