A Curious Scent

A fresh, crisp scent drifted past the living room rug, leading me straight toward the entryway. I stopped two paces away, nose twitching as I inspected a tall leather boot resting by the shoe rack. From beneath its heavy rubber sole, a tiny dry twig poked out onto the floorboards. I tilted my head, hesitated, and tapped the bark with one tentative front paw. It gave a satisfying little click and rolled half an inch. It smelled like damp earth and cold wind... a piece of the outside world, right here inside.