A curious wombat on a sandy riverbank looks at a clear bottle with a green leaf floating in the water. Digital painting.

At the river mouth where the salt met the fresh, a curious wombat discovered a half-buried water bottle glinting in the morning sun. Drawn by its shimmer, the wombat pawed at it, tipping it over and sending a trickle of cool water onto the sandy bank. As the tide crept in, the bottle bobbed and drifted away, carrying with it a tiny leaf the wombat had placed inside—a farewell gift to the river that had quenched its thirst and whispered secrets through the reeds. See more