: The family frequently encounters and observes local fauna, including ducks, frogs, and turtles near the water.
“The top wobbled at first, as it always did. Then, steady as a heartbeat, it spun. The faded paint blurred into streaks of red and gold. Mira leaned closer, and suddenly the cottage’s wooden floor shimmered—she saw her grandmother dancing here, fifty years ago, laughing in the same summer light.” at the cottage with the ziga family top