Tangled Shadows

Dust motes drifted in the amber lamp glow. I kept my belly low against the baseboard, creeping behind the television stand. A thick, coiled black power cable looped across the floor like a resting snake. I froze. Watched. No twitch. I reached out one front paw and delivered a sharp, testing prod. The rubber shifted with a dull clatter against an empty cardboard shoebox. From inside the box, a tiny dried leaf stirred, drifting across the floorboards. I dropped flat, tail tucked, eyes locked on where it slid to rest.