A Cozy Paper Fort

A thick, hardbound book was leaning open like an upside-down 'V' against the bottom shelf. It created a neat, triangular tent on the floor rug. Crawling all the way up onto the sofa felt like too much effort tonight, so I chose the little paper roof instead. I slid my round tummy right under the slanting cardboard cover. Inside, the pages smelled like warm vanilla and dry paper. A soft amber glow from the table lamp reached just under the edge, warming my toes. Resting my chin against the smooth spine, I watched the quiet evening shadows stretch across the carpet.