A Slender Tassel

Coming home from the park as evening settled over the city, I climbed slowly onto the deep cushions of the living room sofa. Tucked between two heavy velvet pillows, the braided silk tassel of a throw blanket hung completely still. I took a deliberate, measured breath, nudging its soft fringe with my plush snout. Deep inside the silk cords, a tiny polished bone bead was bound tightly by thread. My neck chain gave a faint, familiar clink as I leaned my weight forward, pressing my rounded chin into the thick weave of the cushion. Resting right beside the cool, smooth bead, I listened to the quiet room unwind.