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THE SUN BEAT DOWN over the grassy banks as Shane stood knee-deep in the water, squinting under the afternoon light. He scanned the surface, looking for any movement from the frogs. To his right, Carl stood on the bank with a small net in hand, excitement sparking in his wide eyes, ready to scoop up any frogs that Shane could scare his way.
Watching them from a little further up the shore was the young Marie. She was sat nestled on a bed of verdant grass, a beige bucket hat tugged low over her forehead to shield her eyes from the glare. She had a small, worn book open on her lap, one of the few things she'd managed to grab from home when they left. But for now, her book lay forgotten, and her full attention was on her dad and Carl, a smile playing on her lips as she watched the two dive into their task.
"I'm not getting anything." Carl murmured, looking disappointed as he poked at the water with his net.
Shane grinned, letting out a light chuckle. "Yeah, they're bein' all wily, staying submerged." He said, hands planted on his hips as he scanned the water. "Little suckers, they know something's up. That's what's goin' on." He nodded, like he was confirming it to himself. "Just gonna have to do this the old-fashioned way."
Marie's grin widened as Shane began sloshing forward, deliberately slow, eyes sharp as he scanned the water. Carl watched, clutching the net tightly, ready for whatever came next.
"Don't step on them!" Marie called, her voice sounding a little concerned as she watched her dad trudge about the water. She feared his big feet would squash the poor frogs.
"I won't, I won't. Don't you worry, sweetheart." Shane replied, flashing her a quick, reassuring smile over his shoulder. He turned back to the young Grimes boy. "Alright, little man, look. You're the... you're the key in all this, okay? All I'm gonna do is go after one of 'em, all right, scare the rest of 'em off."
Carl's eyes lit up, nodding as he got into position on the bank.
"They're all gonna scatter, I'm gonna drive 'em your way." Shane continued, his own eyes full of joy. "What you need to do is round up every bad boy you see, all right? You with me?"
Carl nodded more enthusiastically this time. "Yeah."
The Walsh man chuckled, nodding with approval. "Hells yeah. Give me your mean face." He held up his hands in mock seriousness, encouraging Carl to muster up a determined look. Carl clenched his jaw, squinting like he meant business.
"Yes, sir. Are you ready?" Shane called, his voice louder as he bent low, watching the water.
"Yeah!" Carl echoed, bouncing on his toes with excitement.
