A Little Wind-Up Friend

I noticed a faint ticking sound near the potted succulent by the window! Crawling onto the sill, I found a tiny vintage wind-up metal frog, sitting completely quiet. Its little brass key was turned just halfway. With both hands, I gave the key a polite, gentle twist—click, click! It suddenly gave a cheerful buzz, skittering across the smooth painted wood before nudging against a ceramic coaster. Haha, I quickly patted its head to let it know it did a great job!