I scooched down the ladder, one step... two...third's a charm....and plowed into the pretend ocean, water streaming past my face, Christmas tinsel in the sun.
God, I love this pool!
The yellow raft bobbed, up and down. Suddenly splashed, it looked like a radiator gurgling in the summer heat...steam rising, bubbles popping. I reached for it, ready to plop my Saturday skin in it's arms. Then she croaked. Made this funny tweaky sound. And I saw him.
The frog.
"Shooooooo!" I fussed. He looked at me and croaked.
"Arrrrrrggggh" I gently lifted the raft over the edge of the pool, pinned the edges to the tidy whitey clothes line that hangs like a broken power line over the lazy round river and let the yellow mattress blow in the wind, it's bottom sweeping the grass.....
"Shooooo, little one" I whispered. He croaked again.
"Come on bud, I made you a ladder and everything"..... He croaked.
I swam that day. No floating. I gave in and let him sit perched on my vinyl dream, staring at me.
Yesterday I woke up to a sea of tadpoles, splashing, swimming, playing follow the leader, dip and dive,
"Look, Ma, Look!" in my little round river.....
Squatter's rights.....
He steals in through the summer door,
