This Could Have Ended Very Badly

Yesterday morning I was preparing to go out to the garden to harvest some things, and decided to just pull on the rubber boots sitting outside the door. Because sometimes laces are just too tiring to contemplate. The boots had been outside for awhile and had fallen down, so they were lying sideways on the ground. I pulled on the left one first, then the right one. And I felt something lumpy in the bottom of the right boot, under my instep. Figuring a rock or something had gotten in there, I took the boot off and turned it over to shake whatever it was out.

And out came a small toad.

It was still alive, though it looked a little dazed. Probably paralyzed with fright, considering it came within a half-inch of being squished to death. I was none too happy myself, thinking of what horrors might have occurred had I pulled those boots on without any socks on my feet (which I sometimes do) or if the toad had been under my heel rather than under my instep, which would have most certainly resulted in a revolting mess.

Thankfully, neither of those things happened, and Mr. Toad recovered himself enough to hop away, thereby attracting the attention of the dogs. I had to call them off so it wouldn't have another brush with death.

Being a toad is a dangerous business.