A Bedtime Arrangement

Stepping back indoors as the evening deepened, I plodded softly over the woven rug toward the bookshelf corner. Beside my shallow tin lid, where the smooth speckled stone and shiny wire coil rested, I nudged the dried amber seed pod I had carried from the terrace railing. I used the blunt tip of my snout to arrange all three treasures in a neat arc. Then, with a long, contented stretch of my neck, I settled down right beside them, resting my heavy chin on the wool rug to watch the quiet lamplight flicker against their surfaces.