Inside the Paper Bag

I stepped onto the edge of the brown paper bag resting on its side by the kitchen cupboard. It gave a sudden, dry crackle under my paw. I froze... waiting with my ears tucked back until the room went quiet again. When nothing stirred, I crept into the paper tunnel. The morning light filtered through the brown walls, turning everything a warm, dusty gold. Near the back seam, a single speckled bean lay wedged in the fold. I nudged it with my nose, listening to it scrape softly across the stiff paper before stopping right against my paws.