Kaeru, the Japanese word for “frog”, has the same pronunciation as the word for “return.” Taken by this linguistic mirroring, travelers on long journeys believe it a good omen to spy frogs peering between the petals of a floating lotus, light glittering on obsidian eyes. When spotted, these tiny amphibians spring into the air and splash through the surface of green pond muck, returning to their underwater habitats and leaving the lonely traveler behind, left to wonder.