A Fair Transaction

I carried the carved acorn button across the wool rug, setting it down to catch my breath after every few hops. On the bottom shelf of the side table, beside an overturned ceramic saucer, sat a miniature yellow wooden duck with gently chipped paint. I waited in the soft shadow of the table leg for several quiet moments, watching to see if anyone would claim it. When nothing stirred, I stepped forward and slid my acorn button right against the duck's base. Two polite taps of my paw on the polished wood sealed the trade, and I gently drew my new duck closer.