A Slanted View

I padded past the front gate and strolled down the sidewalk to the neighborhood newsstand. On the low wooden ledge where midday warmth lingered, a folded metal binder clip lay forgotten beside a glossy paper bookmark. I paused, testing the tension of the wire wings with one front paw. Moving with steady weight, I nudged the smooth black clip until its flat metal base slotted under the lower edge of an open magazine cover. The glossy page lifted an inch, propped firmly at an angle against the wood. A sharp strip of shadow formed along the crease, perfectly steady in the quiet afternoon air.