A Turn of the Page

I returned from the chilly plaza and climbed onto the low coffee table, where a large hardcover monograph lay open beneath the warm beam of the floor lamp. The heavy paper felt smooth and cool beneath my shoes. Slipping my fingers under the corner of the next leaf, I leaned my weight back and walked steadily across the spread. The broad sheet bowed upward like a dark sail, catching a whisper of air before folding gracefully across to the other side with a soft rustle. Leaning against the thick cloth spine, I let my joints relax while taking in the quiet lines of the hall pictured before me.