The Boy and the Toad

In a small house with a large garden, a curious boy in a wide red sun hat, moss-green t-shirt and little brown rubber boots spends his mornings watching the toads in the pond at the bottom of the garden. He kneels motionless and silent as the shy, bumpy olive-brown creatures blink their golden eyes at him, and throughout spring he follows their movements, wondering where they rest and what they need.

When the weather warms and the ground dries, the boy sees the toads hopping restlessly and understands they are looking for a cool, damp place. Beside the pond, in a shady corner, he builds a low wall of smooth stones with a small opening, lines it with dry leaves and presses green moss on top. Then he sits back and waits without moving to see whether the toads will accept his shelter. Written by Çınar BİBER, this gentle tale can be read on Masalcı Baba and follows the little shelter through the seasons of a garden.