A Slender Shadow

Coming in from the garden as dusk deepened, the house was hushed and dim. I padded across the low rug toward the low wooden bookshelf by the wall. A tall brass bookmark shaped like an owl was leaning between two thick hardcover volumes. Its polished surface caught the weak glow from the streetlamp outside the window. I walked up to it, rested my paws against the book spines, and gave the top of the metal feather a gentle nudge. It tipped slightly, casting an elongated shadow across the dusty shelf before settling back with a soft, satisfying tap.