"Do you know what I like most about our walks in the woods, Toad?"

Toad was puzzled. "No, what do you like most about our walks, Frog?"

His friend stopped by a big tree and held out his hand. "I like that we never know what we might find."

Toad chuckled. "But, Frog, we find lots of trees. The woods are full of them."

"That is true. But the woods are also full of nice surprises. Remember that blueberry bush?"

Toad did remember. Blueberry pies, blueberry tarts, pancakes topped with blueberries! He licked his lips and patted his belly. "That was a nice surprise."

"It was! And there might be more!" Frog walked on excitedly. "Who knows what we'll find next? Maybe a grape vine, or a banana tree!"

That was silly, of course. There probably weren't any grape vines, and there definitely weren't any banana trees. Still, thoughts of freshly squeezed grape juice and freshly baked banana bread made Toad happy. That would certainly be a nice surprise.

Frog and Toad walked for a long time. And while it was always nice to go on long walks with Frog, finding no blueberry bushes or banana trees made Toad a little sad. And even sadder when all he could see were the same old trees, the same old flowers, and the same old clumps of grass. Oh! Perhaps… No, another same old tree. "Blah."

"Are you all right, Toad?"

"I am fine, Frog. But I am not finding any nice surprises, like a blueberry bush or a grape vine or a banana tree."

"Do not worry. I am sure we'll find a nice surprise before our walk is done."

Toad was not sure he wanted to keep walking. Maybe Frog was right. Maybe they would find a nice surprise, after all. But he was getting tired. And all he could see were the same old trees and grass. Just like every other walk in the woods.

Frog was still very excited. He ran, jumped, leaped, and laughed as he checked every leaf and every blade of grass. Even when he found nothing, he cheered himself on. "No worries, Toad! We will find that nice surprise soon enough!"

But how "soon" was "soon enough," really? Toad panted and wheezed and groaned. "Frog, I think we should–"

"I found it, Toad! I found the surprise!"

He did?! That was soon enough! Toad walked on until he could see Frog. But where was the surprise? "...is...is it a banana tree?"

"Nope, it's a different kind of surprise. Look."

Toad looked. All he could see were two more trees growing close together. "Blah. That is not a surprise."

"Look again."

Toad looked again. Between the two trees was an old door. Its green paint chipped, its brass knob dimmed, and its hinges dangled like metal leaves. Real leaves, old and crumbling, snagged onto the wood. This certainly was a surprise. But was it a nice surprise? "Frog, why is there a door all the way out here?"

"Maybe it goes somewhere special, like a sweets shop!"

"Frog, there are no sweets shops in the woods."

His friend tapped his chin. "That is true." He smiled. "Maybe it leads to a whole new place for us to explore!"

"It is an old door. Someone left it here."

"That seems like a waste of a perfectly good door."

"They clearly did not want it anymore."

"Why? Just because it is an old door? That is silly, Toad. Old doors can be fixed."

Toad examined the chipped paint and found cracks in the old wood. They almost looked like long teeth. "Maybe it's a scary door." He was not sure why he said that.

Frog gasped. "Is it a scary door, Toad?"

"No, but it is old and no one wanted it. And I cannot see what is on the other side."

"That is also true." Frog tried to get a glimpse past the trees. He could not see what was behind the door. "Do you know what this means?"

"What?"

"To find out, we must open it."

Toad frowned. "Open it?"

What could be behind the old door in the woods? In Toad's mind, Frog opened the door. A giant hand wrapped its fingers around him. A tentacle ensnared his leg. Giant teeth clacked. Bright yellow eyes watched them from the darkness. Vines burst from the ground and pulled his friend into the dirt. "Frog, do not open that door."

"But how else will we find out what is on the other side?"

"Frog."

"It is okay, Toad. We shall see what is behind that door." Frog walked towards it.

"Frog."

His friend stood in front of the door.

"Frog!"

Frog turned the knob.

All those horrible beasts and monsters flickered in Toad's mind. He ran towards Frog with his hands held out in front of him. "No!"

Frog opened the door. Toad seized Frog's arm and pulled him back. The door swung wide...and fell flat onto the ground where Frog had been standing.

"That was a little scary," Frog admitted.

"Are you all right, Frog?"

"I am all right, Toad. No bruises, no splinters. Just a fallen door."

Toad looked down. The door was not so scary anymore. It was actually a little sad. "An old, fallen door."

"Look, Toad!"

Toad did. Past the trees that held the old door, a small and also sad garden sank into the dirt. Flowers wilted, grass curled and browned, and a single sunflower bowed its head towards the ground. "This is not a nice surprise."

Frog sighed. "I am sorry, Toad."

"It is all right, Frog. You did not know." Toad passed between the two trees. His right foot accidentally crushed a few wadded blades of pale grass. "I am sorry, grass." He tried to lift the sunflower's drooping head. It slipped from his fingers, shedding a few weak yellow petals onto his palms. "I am sorry, sunflower."

"You are right, Toad. This is not a nice surprise."

Toad looked over the poor grass and flowers. Suddenly, a thought came to him. "Maybe it can be."

"What do you mean?"

"You are good at growing gardens. Maybe we can't fix the old door, but we can fix the garden."

Frog beamed. "You are right, Toad! Shall we begin?"

With the help of shovels, seeds, Frog's new red wheelbarrow, and some hard work, Frog and Toad carefully uprooted the dead plants and watered what could be saved. They carefully moved the sad sunflower to the side, where it could rest until they hopefully found a new home for it. Soon enough, a healthy garden of daisies, bluebells, and other nice flowers bloomed.

"This surprise gets nicer and nicer, Toad."

"Yes, Frog." Toad glimpsed the old door, resting against another tree. He pried a few of the crumbling leaves from the chipped paint and cracked wood. Toad had another thought. "Maybe we can fix it."

"Are you sure we could?"

Toad's mind saw fresh paint, a shiny knob, patterns of flowers, perhaps even some new leaves trailing up and down like a vine. He nodded. "Yes, I am sure."

They returned with a bucket of green paint, brushes, polish, and a few scattered leaves. The cracks disappeared under the bright new paint. The new leaves twisted and turned along a dark vine that coiled from the top of the door to the bottom. The dull brass knob shone once more. The dangling hinges were latched to the tree. The new, happier door opened and closed, making the wonderful garden behind it a nice surprise every time they visited.

Frog tapped his chin.

"What is it, Frog?"

His friend looked over the door. "I think it is missing something."

Toad wondered what it could possibly be missing. As he wondered, he spotted the sunflower resting by the tree. There was an idea! He carefully lifted the sunflower and replanted it by the door. Soon enough, it would look to the skies with petals brighter than the sun. Toad was sure of it.

"Such a nice surprise, Toad."

"Such a nice surprise indeed, Frog."