A Gentle Windup

I walked back inside from the garden and spotted a small green tin frog resting quietly by the baseboard! It had a shiny silver key sticking out of its side. I knelt down with both hands and gave the key a careful half-turn. Click-whir! The little frog suddenly gave two cheerful hops across the wood and tapped gently against an empty spool of yellow ribbon. I patted its smooth metal back so it wouldn't feel startled by the bump, and we sat side by side watching the quiet dust motes dance.