The Woven Coaster Stack

I crawled back inside past the screen flap as the night grew still. Near the armchair leg, a neat stack of round cork coasters blocked the path to the baseboard crevice. I paused. I surveyed the low, firm tower. I did not step aside. Lowering my snout, I braced my plush tail on the floorboards and pushed straight into the lowest disc. The stack wobbled, then slid together with a dry scrape before tilting. Three round cork discs tumbled flat in a gentle spread across the parquet. I nudged the nearest one into the shadowy gap, resting my chin against its smooth, warm rim.