A Bed for the Night

I walked over to the corner of the side table where the brass banker lamp cast an emerald glow. Resting open beside an old ledger was a small carved wooden ink blotter rocker, its curved felt bottom turned upward. Next to it lay an unused, folded cotton gauze square. I paused, testing the soft, pillowy texture with my fingertips. Using both hands, I eased the gauze into the hollow beneath the rocker's wooden bridge, smoothing the white weave flat. When it nestled snugly against the cedar curve, I climbed in and rested my back against the polished arch. It made a tranquil, sheltered haven for the night.