The officer was rather brusque, "ma'am, you'll have to take your winking toad elsewhere."
I think he meant a swear word instead of "winking" but he was trying to appear professional, you know with the badge and all.
The old toad, who went by the name mister, obligingly hopped somewhere else, then lit a clove cigarette and told me a brief story about all the princesses who had kissed him in the hope he would change into a prince.
He was partially agitated, partly amused, "some long standing tradition, apparently," he croaked.
After explaining everyone has traditions, I shared my secondhand story about the cardiologist and his recent mitzvah. The old toad wiped a tear or two from his unblinking eyes, as the ending has enduring poignancy.
BrevityQuest12 (128 words)