Or Merely to Insulate

[David Attenborough voiceover] As the days shorten, certain members of the species make regular trips to libraries and shops, laying in books for the winter. Some scientists suggest the resulting stacks are not, as it might appear, for edification or even entertainment, but to make the nest more attractive to potential mates, or merely to insulate against drafts.

Ben Roth teaches philosophy at Emerson College.  His fiction has been published by NanoismFlashBlink-InkSci Phi JournalAesthetics for BirdsCuento Magazine101 Wordsdecomp journalBodega Magazine (nominated for a Pushcart Prize), Gambling the AisleSensitive SkinEuphonyYour Impossible VoiceQuibble, and The Bookends Review.