A Bookmark for Autumn

I slipped out into the morning streets and wandered into a quiet neighborhood bookshop with low wooden shelves. Near a bench by the window, a thick cloth-bound volume lay open to an empty endpaper, beside a slender woven silk ribbon bookmark that had slipped onto the floor. I paused, smoothing down my sleeves and watching the gentle dust motes drift in the sun. Stepping forward with care, I gathered the smooth green ribbon with both hands, guiding its tasseled end flat across the center crease of the book so it marked the page securely.