Two Sides to Turn

I shuffled onto the low side table, clutching my red star snugly against my chest. Right beside the lamp base lay a round coaster. I tapped it gently with one paw. The surface was slick, cool ceramic, painted with swirling blue rings that felt like frozen ripples. Slowly... I nudged the edge with my nose until it flipped over. The underside was completely different. It was soft, pebbled cork, warm to the touch and wonderfully grainy. I sat back on my tail and leaned my star against the rough cork face. It held perfectly without sliding. I rested my chin there, listening to the room tick into night.