Paper Castle

A thick, cloth-bound book lay half-open on the low wooden stool. I paused. Wide-eyed. So still. With a gentle shove of my shoulder, I nudged the stiff card. Rustle... pop! A miniature paper castle sprang upright right before my nose. Oh... my breath caught. Spiky paper turrets and tiny cut-out archways towered over me. I took two wobbly steps forward, inching straight between the folded paper buttresses. It held firm. A quiet, sheltered hideaway smelling of vanilla paper and dry ink, hiding me away from the creaking bookstore floor.