A Bookmark in Place

Seeking a calm pause away from the busy street, I stepped through the heavy library doors into the reading room. On a polished oak desk near the tall window, someone had left an open hardbound book resting face down, creasing its pages. I approached carefully, easing the cover flat against the wood. Beside it lay an embroidered cloth bookmark with braided silk tassels. With both hands, I lifted the silk ribbon, slotted it squarely along the book's center gutter, and gently closed the hard cover over it to keep the leaf smooth.