"I hide it because it scares me."

Anna has a very special coin purse. I recently saw it for the first time. It was a religious experience. She said to Lydia and me,

"I hide it because it scares me."

Apparently, someone thought,

"Hmm. It's Anna's birthday, and Anna likes frogs. I know, I'll get her an actual dead frog!"

The other night she brought out the little artifact, and at first it looked normal enough, but then I saw the frog's head sticking out of the side. Its glassy black eyes look so calm, and its little mouth has been sown shut, and all its body skin has been expertly molded into a pocket, complete with a zipper to keep valuables secure in the froggy tummy. The expressionless face communicates utmost serenity which immediately made me feel that this little specimen of amphibian mummification is one little Honduran hoptoad that left the homeland in style.

It got me wondering how many frogs it would take to make a jacket. I could see a real market for a fashionable, functional, bug-repellant jacket. Seems like 20 glass-eyed smirking frog's heads would make just about anyone lose their appetite.


dispatch "two coins"