A Rolled Ticket

Wandering past the brick planter, my eye caught a small blue cinema ticket tightly curled against the base of a metal newsstand. I paused, waiting for a passing bicycle to rattle past before stepping close. Kneeling down, I pressed both plush paws against the curled cardboard slip. It unrolled with a dry, pleasant crackle, resisting slightly against my pads before relaxing flat against the textured flagstone. Holding one edge down with my left paw, I smoothed the creases until the printed numbers lay quiet and tidy in the afternoon shade.