A Slanted Patch of Light

The hallway door stood slightly open this morning, leaving a wide pathway I hadn't seen yesterday. I padded past the frame onto the polished floorboards, where a quiet rectangle of pale morning light lay waiting. Inside the brightness, tiny specks danced whenever I exhaled. I stepped into the middle of the warm shape, my small metal tags giving a gentle click as I lowered my chest to rest. The wood beneath felt smooth and steadily warm under my paws. I stayed there watching the shadows shift along the baseboard, waiting to see how far the light would stretch before noon.