A Soft Place to Unwind

I scraped the soles of my shoes against the ribbed edge of the doormat, brushing off the fine sand I had carried all the way home from the park. After trotting back up the porch steps in the dark, my legs were thoroughly ready for a break. On the lowest shelf of the wooden shoe rack, right beside an enormous felt slipper, someone had left a clean, thick wool sock. I rolled the ribbed cuff into a neat little bolster and leaned back against its warm, springy weave. Hearing the familiar, steady hum of the apartment around me, I finally let my twin tails settle flat.