A Rolled Wooden Ring

Wiggling free from beneath the tilted cushion, my paws pattered toward the sunny floor near the radiator. Resting flat against the cream skirting board was a polished wooden napkin ring carved from pale birch, banded with a row of five shallow burned dots. I paused, tilting forward to inspect each tiny charred circle. With a polite nudge of my round black snout, I tested its weight. It rolled forward with a smooth, hollow rumble across the oak grain, looping in a gentle curve before bumping softly against a fallen brass thimble. Peeking through its open circle, the morning light framed the wood grain perfectly.