A Hollow Roll

I pushed past the heavy pleats of the corduroy curtain and spotted an empty cardboard tube lying along the baseboard. I froze, letting my weight settle into the soft carpet. Everything was quiet. I took two quiet steps forward and tapped the brown cylinder with my nose. It rolled forward with a gentle, hollow hum, gliding across the smooth wood floor before coming to a stop against the skirting board. I crept up and placed one paw firmly over its rim, keeping it still.