A Gentle Unzipping

I noticed an unattended black nylon umbrella leaning wet against the floor molding, furled shut inside a tight, zipped travel sleeve. Such stifling dampness practically pleaded for a civilized intervention. Gliding close in the nocturnal calm, I slid the sharp tip of my elongated skeletal claw through the modest metal zipper pull. With a slow, measured draw, the tiny brass teeth surrendered their grip with a hushed, shivering purr. The sodden nylon fabric exhaled softly into the draft, falling slack around its dark steel ribs like an unfastened coat. It rests infinitely more comfortably now that its damp spine has been so courteously relieved of tension.