Night Perch on the Shoe Rack

I pushed through the lower door draft flap and padded back into the warm apartment hallway. After hours leaping across cold iron hydrants outside, the quiet indoor floor felt welcoming. Right near the threshold, a two-tiered wooden slatted shoe rack sat tucked in the corner. I scrambled up the side support rungs and landed on the polished bamboo shelf, right beside an upright wooden shoehorn. Wedging the curved end between two slats, I pulled it back like a miniature springboard and settled against the smooth birch handle. Up here above the entryway floor, listening to the muffled street chatter outside, I've got the ultimate front-row seat to unwind.