Pleating the Street

A cool drizzle drove me down the sidewalk until I slipped through the narrow glass door of a bright yellow book-exchange booth. On the lowest wooden shelf, an accordion-folded cardboard panorama book of the city had spilled open, its zig-zag panels trailing over the edge. Planted firmly on the cedar plank, I pressed my plush front paws against the first fold. Working my weight forward in patient, measured steps, I walked each creased section back into place. With one last solid push of my chest, the stiff illustrated panels compressed into a neat, upright block, tucked snugly between two thick dictionaries.