“You know there’s dangerous animals out in that there swamp,” the guy behind the rental office said, holding up the keys to the boat.
“I know. I’ll avoid the snakes and gators.”
“And the frogs,” he said.
“The frogs?” I almost laughed. But he looked deadly serious.
“I don’t know what it is. Something in the water maybe. But they turned mean. You steer clear of ‘em.”
I nodded and took the keys. He must’ve been joking.
But as we took the boat out among the lily pads, I heard a chorus of angry croaks. It was already too late.

“interrupted – Rough-skinned Bush Frog” by vipin baliga is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Everyday Drabbles © 2025 by Hugh J. O’Donnell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0