the blue bookmark

I waddled over to the low wooden bookshelf in the living room to see what was resting between the heavy book spines. Peeking out from a thick blue novel was a braided silk tassel attached to a metal bookmark. Sitting steadily on my tail fan, I reached out both plush pincers to gently smooth the soft, dark blue threads. They were silky and cool, cascading straight down against the mellow paper edges. When I gave the tassel a polite, cautious tug, the thin metal leaf at the top glinted softly in the warm floor lamp light. Straightening each tiny thread felt wonderfully relaxing.