A Quiet Shelf of Envelopes

I slipped back inside from the cool balcony and made my way toward the warm floor lamp. Tucked beside the armchair, a woven wicker basket held a neat stack of unopened cream envelopes. I paused... letting the soft hum of the living room settle over me. With both of my curved hands, I slowly slid three square envelopes flat against the ribbed wicker bottom, aligning their crisp paper edges in an exact, overlapping row. Resting my back against the firm wicker weave, the quiet room felt steady and peaceful again.