Over the summer I read a fascinating work of Science-Fiction titled  Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. Towards the end of this book, the main character, Rick Deckard, goes on a long walk up a steep hill, similar to the people of earth's almost religious figure, Mercer. Though the author doesn't specify the time it took for Rick to complete his hike, you can see that he was gone for some time. He sees a similarity between himself and Mercer, whose teachings Deckard had not practiced extensively. This could be nothing, a way for the author to wrap up the story, but when Rick stops his climb, it is because he sees a toad.

To understand the significance of this toad, first you must know two things. one of which is that the toad was thought to be extinct, and the other was that it was one of Mercer's sacred animals, the other being a donkey. Though this is not stated or thought by Rick, it can be seen clearly by the writers descriptive words and details that had been left out on other animals in the story. When Rick gets home, however, he discovers that the toad was artificial, produced by a mechanical vet clinic in the city.