Braided shelter

I slipped through the narrow crack under the garden door, shaking the cool night chill from my feet. Resting beside the hallway baseboard was a heavy, spherical doorstop tied from thick, braided cotton rope. I paused... tilting my head to study its dense, rounded ridges. Inching closer on quiet paws, I nudged my snout into the dip between two curved cords. The woven texture was firm yet gentle, smelling faintly of dry linen. I shuffled forward, wedging my flank right into the snug pocket between the rope knot and the wall. Tucking my feet beneath me, I let the steady warmth of the house settle over me.