A Safe Place for Gold

I hurried straight past the hallway console, hauling the yellow leaf along the baseboard until I reached the safe shadow behind the tall bookcase! My hands shook a little as I set the dry stem down—it made a tiny, papery rustle against the floorboards. I unlatched the wooden storage box, pulled out the rolled-up escape map, and carefully pressed the crisp golden leaf flat between two heavy discarded magazines next to the brass key. It looks completely safe now, like a piece of the outside world preserved right where nobody will ever disturb it.