A Heavy Corner

A dark block stood quiet against the dark floorboards. I braced... spines locked rigid. Eight slow breaths. Nothing lunged. It was a thick, hardcover book resting on its side. Stiff paper. Silent corner. Slowly, dragging my round belly along the polished grain, I nudged my flank into the shadowed notch between the book's spine and the baseboard. My quills clicked faintly against the heavy cloth cover. Solid wall behind me. Safe watchpost for the night.