The Restaurant Under the Fountain

“Can you keep a secret?” Mark attempted to whisper while also catching his breath. His hind legs ached from the racing jumps he had used to get here.  

“Mark!” Daisy screamed in greeting as she slid out from her rock, medical bag in hand. It was exactly the kind of response Mark was hoping to avoid. Actually, his whole current situation was what he was trying to avoid. How had he mistaken the times? He was sure the leaf had said 9 just yesterday, but when he looked at it this morning, the number 6 clearly stared back at him.

“Can you keep a secret?” Mark repeated, this time more audibly.

“Yes,” Daisy said, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head as if creating a space to securely store the secret.

“Today is Rana’s birthday and I have reservations for us at the Restaurant Under the Fountain,” Mark said.

“You’re taking your wife to The Restaurant Under the Fountain!” Daisy croaked. 

“Shh…” Mark reminded her. This surprise thing wasn’t going well, but Daisy was Rana’s closest coworker so she was his best option. Besides, he had revealed the spider in the web now. He glanced around for his wife. She would be suspicious enough to see him talking to her coworker, but it would completely give away the surprise if his wife heard them croaking the name of the restaurant. He could just tell his wife, but she always pulled off surprises for him.

Daisy rubbed her hands together. “Oh, she’s going to be so happy, so so happy. She’s always talking about the Fly Rib Bits they serve there.”

“There a catch,” Mark continued. He pushed himself to keep going until he got the whole thing out. “I thought the reservation was at 9, but I just discovered it is at 6, and I had to make reservations two months ahead of time. Rana doesn’t get off work until 6:30. I need your help to get her off early.”

Daisy circled her lips. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said.

“Thank you,” Mark replied. He hopped back toward his house. Now he was almost late for work and would need to leave work early to make the dinner reservation. The breakfast fly would have to live until tomorrow. Mark daydreamed about the new plans. The situation really could work out. If he and Rana both returned home early, he could suggest an afternoon hop. They would just happen to walk to Restaurant Under the Fountain and discover the reservation. Meanwhile, Mark found himself breathless for the second time that morning. 

Work at the moth factory was busy that day. Twenty-eight larvae emerged from their cocoons and the frogs had to begin training the moths to stay within easy reach of the frog workers without actually explaining to the moths that the reason for this requirement was so that the moths could be easily harvested for food. Mark had just convinced a particularly obstinate moth to remain within the confines of the moth factory when he realized it was 5:15. 

“Good one,” Mark’s colleague Adam said. “That one was tough.”

“And with that, I will close my day,” Mark said with a bow, pretending like he had just happened to finish now.

Mark gathered his supplies and began his jump home.

“Ouch,” Mark said and examined his left hind leg. He had jumped straight onto a briar. He tried to pry it out, but the movement generated more pain. The briar had penetrated straight through his leg and he was unable to jump.

A few moments later, with the help of two friends, Mark arrived at the water pipe hospital, trying to ignore the pain in his leg that threatened to beat through his entire body.

“Mark!”  Daisy croaked so loud her greeting vibrated the area. “How wonderful that you came to meet your wife. I’ve got everything covered. She should be coming outside anytime.”

As Daisy spoke, Rana emerged from the hospital carrying her packed medical bags. Rana stared at Mark and then broke down into a spree of ribbits so intense that she started rolling on the ground. Mark didn’t know whether to be angered by her humor at the situation or glad she was starting her birthday evening in such a good mood. 

“Of course you’re here,” Rana said and broke down into another string of ribbits. “This has been such a strange day. It’s like the clocks were trying to play tricks with me.” Rana started ribbiting again. “First I thought it was just before 10 when my 10 AM patient arrived, but when I looked at the clock, it was nearly 11. Then when I was called to another ward after treating three patients, the clock there said it was only 11:15. All the times have been off all day. If it hadn’t been for Daisy assuring me that I have seen all my patients for the day and that it is time to leave, I might have been here all night.”

One of Daisy’s eyeballs plummeted into her head as she winked at Mark. 

“But Mark, you’re here, how was your day?” Rana asked and came to him. 

“It was busy. We had 28 larvae emerge,” Mark said.

“Oh, your leg,” Rana said. “What happened?”

“I hopped in a hole on my way home from work,” Mark said.

“We’ll have to get you seen,” Rana said. “The second shift seems to be slow to arrive today. I hope they’re ready to go and you don’t have to wait long.”

Unable to protest relief from the physical pain, Mark nodded, disappointment from his lost evening adding a second layer to the injury. He had been so close.

“I think it’s going to need surgery,” the doctor said. “Let’s see if we can get you taken care of before the second shift comes in.”

“The whole evening’s lost anyway,” Mark thought. “Did it really matter how quickly they treated him?”

Mark’s head swam as he took in the cast covering his leg. Rana’s smile penetrated deep into his eyes and dulled the ache in his leg as if he were receiving smile anesthesia. She held up a leaf with the number 9 on it.

“Mark, I had no idea,” Rana said. “We’ll have just enough time to make it.”

“How did you get another reservation?” Mark asked. 

Rana squinted at him. “I found this in your shirt. Is it not for us?” she asked.

“Yes, but the reservation was at 6. We missed it,” Mark replied.

Rana flipped the leaf. “Was this the 6 you saw?” she asked.

“Yes,” Mark sighed.

Rana smiled and flipped the paper again. “The Restaurant Under the Fountain” is right side up this way. The reservation is at 9,” Rana said.

“You mean I changed all those clocks for nothing!” Daisy’s voice burst into the room. 

Mark and Rana stared at Daisy and then burst into a fit of ribbits as they embraced each other.