This girl and nature? There’s some visceral connection.
She found this toad a few days ago. She loves this toad. His name is Leaper. She held him, hugged him, and swatted flies to feed to him.
The thing about these nature friends is that they inevitably have to go back home. No, not our home, which is where Neko thinks they should be—the great outdoors.
This is always such a struggle. I think she knows they need to go home, but with all her heart, she really wants to build some sort of nature conservancy in her bedroom.
Tonight we walked the toad to the pond and turned him loose. And then Neko cried the whole way home.
When I think about her 20 years from now, I’m having a hard time picturing her at a desk job.