Through the Mail Slot

The hallway barrier held through the night, but dawn brought strange rustlings from outside the thick wooden door. I marched past the wire bin straight to the door's lower frame. Near my head, a narrow horizontal brass mail flap gleamed in the dim light. I didn't hesitate. Bracing my hind feet firmly against the floorboards, I shoved my snout upward against the cool spring-loaded metal. It swung outward with a sharp metallic clack. A rush of chilly, unfamiliar corridor air washed across my face, carrying echoes of distant footsteps and elevator hums. I planted my foreclaws on the sill, holding the brass flap wide open to claim my first direct look into the outer world.