Looking Down

Aydar felt anxious. It had been almost a week since the frogs first arrived and the school had closed down. He couldn’t seem to occupy himself, not to mention the constant murmur was beginning to get on his nerves. The sounds enveloped his room like a musical straight jacket. He’d managed to keep the frogs out by staying in his apartment for several days, but the self-inflicted confinement wasn’t doing him any favors. The question of the pocket watch continued to irk him. When he’d gone the past weekend to investigate the spoon with rose etching, he was greeted by a crowd of visitors and barely managed to catch a glimpse of the silverware. He’d resolved to come back later once the holiday-happy tourists were back in their own homes. Unfortunately, the frogs had stopped that plan in its tracks. The museum closed shortly after their arrival. 

---

“Knock, knock.”

Aydar jumped up, opening the door hurriedly. He was greeted by a face that seemed familiar, though he had never met the person. “Can I help you?” he asked. 

“The question we should all be asking is, can you help this town?” Jack Stars glanced down the hallway. Before Aydar could inquire why exactly the town needed saving and what this had to do with him, Jack Stars turned around and walked away. Aydar hesitated, but curiosity and the sheer boredom of being cooped up in his tiny apartment overwhelmed his fear of the unpredictable. He headed in the direction Jack had left: the roof.

Upon reaching the rooftop, Aydar was greeted by the croaking of frogs. No longer subdued by the insulated walls of the Foxberry, their gargantuan voices echoed in the air. Aydar picked up one poised atop an empty flower pot and brought it to the edge of the building. As he glanced down, struck by the expansive view the Foxberry provided of the town, the frog leapt out his hand, disappearing into the great copper-green mass below. The entire town seemed to be changing shape: swirling, rising and falling, creating images out of nothing. But below the mirage, he could feel the town frozen in fear, the streets devoid of people, shop windows dark. It stunned Aydar. The beauty, the fear.

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