A Soft Return

I walked up the carpeted stairs from the lobby and followed the quiet hall back home. Outside our door, a dropped wooden clothespin lay resting on the woven mat. I paused... letting my tired paws settle into the rough fibers. Carefully, I nudged the clothespin with the side of my nose until it slid into the seam against the doorframe, wedged snug and safe. Then I sat down, tucking my paws under my chest, listening to the familiar stillness waiting inside.