A Frog's Story

A Frog's Story
by
Terry Burres

The girl found a smooth rock jutting out over the creek. Sitting down she leaned back so that her face would catch the mild rays of the Spring Sun. She smiled as the warmth curled around her cheeks, and shadows danced around her closed eyes. Letting her mind drift she soon started to doze when she heard a low voice say, "Hello."

She sat up straight as she looked around. But all that she saw, besides the trees and water, was a large green bullfrog.

"Hello," she greeted, looking around for the owner of the voice. "Where are you?"

"Hello," she heard again. "I'm right here,"came the reply but the girl still couldn't see anyone.

She looked all around the rock. Still all she saw was the large frog. She watched it closely when she whispered, "Where?"

"You're looking at me," replied the frog. Before the girl could run the frog continued, 'Wait! I'm not what I seem!"

The girl stood still, with her mouth open, looking at the frog.

"That's better," said the frog. "I may look like a frog but I'm not. Please sit down so I can tell my story, Please."

The girl, who was curious, thought that she would sit and listen to the frog. After all, she could run very fast and she knew that she could out run a frog. She sat on the edge of the rock facing the frog.

"Last week," the frog began his story, "as I was hunting for wild strawberries I happened to step on a strange mound of earth. I didn't think much about it at the time; but suddenly, with a puff of smoke, there was a small little old woman. She started to scream at me for walking on her house. I tried to tell her that I didn't know that it was her house but she just kept screaming. There was a flash of light, a puff of smoke and I found myself looking up at her. Oh, and did I mention that I was green?"

The girl reached for the frog. "Poor thing!" She picked up the frog. "What can I do to help?"

"Well, I have heard of a way to break such spells," said the frog.

"Do tell," answered the girl.

"If a frog such as myself is kissed by a lovely girl then the spell will be broken." The frog smiled as best as he could being a frog and all.

"A Kiss?" she gasped.

The frog almost laughed out loud at the look on her face at the idea of kissing the frog’s wet lips. He sat looking up at the young lovely girl waiting.

The girl had heard of magic spells being broken by a kiss. But to kiss a frog - Uck!!!!! How could she? Even If the frog turned out to be a prince, how could she? Even if he ask her to become his princess, HOW COULD SHE? But then she looked once more at the frog. Could she leave the poor frog a frog forever? And besides she would be a princess. "OK," she sighed "I’ll do it."

The frog shivered as she lifted him to her face. She closed her eyes and brought the frog closer and closer. She puckered her lips and felt the wet kiss of the frog’s lips. There was a sparkling tingle on her lips and the smell of smoke in her nose.

The frog dropped from her hands and when she opened her eyes there before her was the cutest brown dog she ever saw. "Hi Prince!” The girl laughed as she stood up and reached down to pet the dog. "Let’s go home."

And they lived happily ever after.