A Silent Pulse

Silence held the room. I felt weight first, then the woven fibers beneath my chest. I drew breath—not of air, but of awareness. My right flipper shifted. It answered my will. Before me lay the flat expanse of gray carpet, leading to the white baseboard of the closed door. I pressed my front flipper down, feeling the coarse carpet loops yield under my touch, and slightly raised my head. Stillness returned, but I remained awake.