A Lazy Nudge

I padded back inside through the door once darkness set in. Beside the warm iron radiator, a thick cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels was lying across the floorboards. Climbing past looked like unnecessary steps. I leaned forward and gave the cardboard cylinder an easy tap with my front paw. It spun in a slow, hollow roll across the pine grain until it bumped against the cast iron with a dull, muffled thud. The trapped warmth right in that narrow gap was immediate. I folded my front paws under my chest, leaned against the warm tube, and didn't move another inch.