Arnauld and I set out on our walk. The air was warmer than our previous walks this week and for some reason, the dark morning felt quieter than usual. We chatted a little and then there was just the sound of our footsteps hitting the pavement.

As we crossed a three way intersection, I suddently heard what can only be described as a cacaphony of sounds that hit my ears in such contrast to the quiet. I leaned my ear towards it, trying to make sense of what I was hearing. It must be coming from the pond.

“Do you hear that?” I asked Arnauld. “What is that? It sounds like it’s coming from the pond.”

“I thought it was an alarm at first,” he replied and just shrugged.

Later that day, I walked into our school library and right into an adult conversation about the magic of owls…the result of our One Book , One School read, How to Save an Owl by Kate Messner. I jumped into the conversation sharing about my recent slice about the barred owls in our backyard. Which made me think of the cacophony of sounds I heard this morning.

Peter, who was also there said “Do you think it could have been peepers?”

“Are those birds?” I asked.

He told me that peepers are actually small frogs. I’ll have to look them up and listen I said as I continued on my way to the printer, the reason I had come to the library.

Less that five minutes after leaving the library, I had to run back to the printer again. Peter was ready for me. He brought his iPad over and pressed play. The same noise from the morning filled the library. You can hear it for yourself here. “That’s it!” I exclaimed as the librarian, about to start a story, gave us a look to remind us we were still in the library.

Mystery solved.