Tessa bent down to get a closer look at the frog. Daddy said frogs were magical. Not the kind of magic from storybooks, but real magic. He said that they could hear a wish from your heart if you really needed something. Tessa needed something, but she wasn't sure a frog could help no matter how magical it might be. Still she couldn't keep herself from crouching down closer to the frog and whisperinfg her wish.

She looked around quickly to make certain Daddy wasn't around, "Can you make Momma come back?" she asked. " I really miss her. "

Trey leaned back against the side of the house, the shock of Tessa's wish rendering him immobile. Jan had been gone for almost a year and he thought they'd moved past that. Tessa was only five when she disappeared and he thought with time her mom would fade from her memory. Apparently not. He needed some time to think about the best way to handle this and though he knew he should go to his daughter, he turned to the front of the house and scurried away like a coward.

Tessa watched the frog hop away with her wish and wondered what happened next. Could the frog bring her mother back? Not certain, she decided to wait a few days before asking Daddy. He didn't like talking about Mommy leaving and she didn't want to make him sad.