A Button in the Dust

I slipped through the gap beside the wooden television stand, stepping softly into the dark. Behind the cables, where the floor mop never quite reaches, my paw touched something round and hard. It was a smooth, pearl-colored coat button with four tiny holes. I nudged it forward an inch into the warm stripe of amber light leaking from underneath the cabinet. When I tapped its edge, it spun quietly on the polished floorboards, humming like a tiny top before settling flat against the dust.