A Folded Crane

I leaned forward slowly, resting my round base against the corner of a low wooden coffee table. Right beside a half-drained teacup sat a small crane folded from speckled parchment paper. Its pointed wings were spread wide and still. I paused, taking in the sharp creases along its spine before gently tilting my little pumpkin forward until its curved stem nudged the paper wingtip. The crane swiveled smoothly across the polished wood on its folded belly, gliding an inch without tumbling over. Seeing it balance so quietly beside us made my morning feel perfectly still.