A Looming Shadow

I stepped off the plastic studs and stalked toward the ledge of the towering wooden shelf. Below stretched an unfamiliar domain—vast carpet, towering furniture legs, silence. Beside me rested an upright hardcover book. I pressed my mutated claw against its rigid spine, testing its resistance. With deliberate, quiet pressure, I pushed until it leaned precariously against its neighbor, casting a deep, jagged shadow across the polished shelf grain. My domain begins here. The vantage point is mine.