A Snug Little Vessel

I slipped through the garden gate and waddled along the path to the wide grass under the horse chestnut tree. Right against a thick, mossy root, a plump brown chestnut had rolled loose from its prickly green casing, teetering near a damp patch of soil. I knelt down on my fuzzy knees, gathered the smooth, glossy nut between both paws, and carefully set it back inside the cup of its split shell like a little passenger in a wooden boat. Tucking them together beneath the shelter of a dry oak leaf, everything looked safe and cozy again.