Jade Fern Grove the phonograph that plays your favorite albums back

For every minute that seemed to pass, the more awful that toad truly seemed to taste. And Pasha was willing to believe that it had emptied part of its bladder in his mouth. But he didn't show any displeasure from it, if only as a front to his brother that everything was okay. Still, when the inevitable question came up, Pasha was happy to spit the toad out and keep it in place with a foot. Not too much pressure though, he didn't want to hear that awful squeak out of it again.

"I dunno," he said with a shrug. "Guess we could bury it, or somethin'." Peering under his foot, he was met with an expressionless response from the toad. It didn't seem to care one way or another what they did with it; the toad was already dead on the inside, as far as it was concerned. "We could scare mom with it," he suggested cheekily, a mischievous grin spreading on his face as he looked to Swift. Perhaps that would spark his mother out of her funk. Alternatively, she was probably just as likely to scare her children by chasing them in response. Or not be impressed at all with the "gift". It was hard to say.

Shifting his attention back to the toad, he voiced his thoughts again.

"I wonder what it is, though. Isn't it cool?"