Tangled Cord

Night shadows lengthened. I slipped back indoors through the slider gap, paws ticking on cool hardwood. Time to rest? Not yet! Next to the heavy sofa base stood a tall brass lamp pole. Claws gripped the metal base—cool, smooth! But wrapped around the stem sat a thick, ribbed black cable. Head tilt. Sharp pause. I crouched, nudging the stiff loop with one toe claw. It yielded with a heavy thud against the wood. I hooked my claw beneath the twist, levering it an inch outward. Behind the bend, tucked against the rug edge, lay a lost wooden bead. A dry rolling prize trapped in the shadows!