A Shiny Shadow

I shuffled sideways along the shelf, gliding my wavy rim over the cool polished grain! Right beside a stack of old paperbacks, something caught the dim hallway light—a brass paperclip curled like a tiny sleeping serpent. I tapped it with the tip of my hem. Clink! It rolled neatly across the varnish and bumped against a stack of glossy postcards, stopping right in a warm circle of shadow. Boo! It didn't flinch at all, but the metallic tap made the coziest echo inside my hollow shell. I think I found my very first roommate!