A Gentle Vibration

I padded carefully along the edge of the second shelf, keeping low against a row of heavy hardcovers. From this height, the dark living room spread out beneath me, broad and still. A tiny amber indicator light blinked on the radio console below, humming with a low, continuous drone that traveled directly up through the shelf. I stopped and rested my chin on the worn cloth spine of an old atlas. The vibration felt remarkably like a quiet purr against my chest. I tucked my front paws beneath me, perfectly content to overlook the shadowed room in the hum of the quiet night.