A Ring of Mystery

I scrambled across the polished oak table, looking for a shady spot to rest, when a sudden glossy brown crescent caught my eye! M-mamma mia, my knees wobbled like jelly—was it the creeping claw of an invisible pantry ghoul? I ducked low behind a heavy salt shaker, holding my breath until my whiskers twitched. Whew... no specter! It was just a sticky, dried soy sauce droplet smeared on the wood. I hurried over, grabbed a clean dry toothpick, and carefully scraped the brittle crust away until the smooth varnish underneath shone clean and bare.