A Quilted Hollow

My webbed feet carried me back inside, pattering softly over the quiet floorboards as night settled into the room. Beside the carved cedar chest, a thick quilted oven mitt sewn from pale gray linen lay resting on its side. Its padded cuff was partly collapsed against the rug. I paused... tilting my head to see how deep the stitched lining went. With two gentle, patient nudges of my orange bill, I pushed the curved thumb flap under and eased the mouth open into a wide, round burrow. I stepped inside and tucked my feet beneath me. The soft stitched lining cradled my tummy, warm and perfectly still.