A Slanted Blue Stamp

I padded softly across the woven rug toward the wooden coffee table. On the lower shelf lay an envelope, tucked between two magazines. I waited for a quiet moment, then reached out with both paws to ease it forward. In the corner sat a tiny blue stamp with jagged edges, showing a ship on gentle waves. My paw brushed its ridged edge. It smelled faintly of distant rain and dry paper. I smoothed down a folded corner, holding the paper carefully against my chest so it would not slip away.