A Crack Between the Shelves

I spread both arms wide, bracing my palms against the heavy baseboard to gauge the floor's solidity. Right where the bookcase met the wall, a deep, narrow shadow caught my attention. I stood still, letting my head-limbs flex and curl as I weighed whether to lean forward. Extending one careful claw into the crevice, the tip scraped along coarse wood before dislodging a small, metallic paperclip. It tumbled out with a sharp, metallic ping that shuddered pleasingly through my fingers.