A Roof for the Night

I trotted in through the quiet hallway, leaving the chill of the evening street behind. On the runner rug beside the bookcase, a stiff clothbound ledger stood upright on its open edges like a narrow triangular roof. I paused, studying the dark clearance beneath its spine. Stepping forward with steady care, I braced my plush paws against the heavy buckram covers, nudging them apart until the paper walls locked at a wide, stable angle. A folded linen handkerchief lay forgotten near the armchair rung. I nudged the soft cloth across the rug, easing it straight through the book’s paper entrance to form a smooth floor. Creeping inside, the vaulted pages hushed the room into a deep, peaceful shelter.