*****
Giggle Book Two
Blue Frog
Shady Lane wandered in and out of the countryside; winded through the hills and hollows and across the meadows and valleys of Hidden Pond. The warm summer breeze laid lazily about the small community of Hidden Pond. The long, hot summer had settled in. A giant willow stretched its limbs over the water and across the pond. The willow created a shelter of shade from the sun. From time to time you could see little ripples of water moving about on top of the pond. They were caused by small bugs and dragonflies kissing the pond’s surface. Cattails and lily pads dressed the banks of the pond. Wildflowers of all kinds also grew along the banks. Across the other end of the pond was a small waterfall that fed into a small stream; it overflowed when it rained.
It came to pass one day that Willie B., the frog, was headed down to the pond. He strolled along, happy-go-lucky; he was on his way to meet his girlfriend on their special lily pad. On his way, he stumbled on a pair of glasses in the tall grass. He stopped and looked them over. He figured a fisherman had lost them after a day of fishing at the pond. He picked them up and turned them this way and that; he slapped them on and off his face. He put one of the earpieces in his mouth and held the other end with his other hand. Finally, he slipped them upon his nose, hopped down to the edge of the water and looked at himself.
“Cool,” he said. “Cool, Willie B., cool. These glasses make me look so distinguished,” he said as he hopped off to see his girlfriend, Sweetie. But, while he was on his way, he suddenly slowed down and began to feel sad, blue and depressed. For no reason whatsoever, he started thinking about getting old; he didn’t want to get old. He had noticed that a lot of his friends grew up and got old. And all they do is sit around the edge of the pond bellowing, ribbiting, croaking and snapping at dragonflies.
“I don’t want to do that the rest of my life,” he cried. “I want to hip-hop, roll about, slide and swim. I want to be me, just like I am now. I want to live and continue to see the world.”
He sat down to rest; he felt so blue, sad and unhappy. The more he sat there and thought, the bluer he got.
“Willie B., I have been waiting for you,” Sweetie said as she came up. “Where have you been? “And what’s that on your face?”
“I was on my way,” he explained, “and I found these glasses in the tall grass. Do you like them?” he asked. “Do I look cool?”
“Well sort of,” she replied. “But, they’re not you. Come on, are you going to sit with me?”
“Why, baby,” she said when she suddenly stopped. “What’s the matter? You look so blue and sad. Why such a long face?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “One minute I was so happy go lucky and the next minute I was so sad and blue. Baby girl, I don’t want to grow old.”
“I understand,” she replied, “but we all have to grow old. Besides, you have a long way to go before you get old. Come on baby,” she insisted, “let’s go on down to the lily pad and cuddle up a little. Why, Willie B., growing old my foot, you’re still a young hopper.”
As the twosome made their way down to their favorite spot, she noticed he wasn’t himself.
“What’s wrong with you, sad eyes? You’re still so blue and you have such a long face.”
“Oh, it’s nothing,” he replied. “I’m just down and out today. The ribb is gone out of my ribbit and the bellow is gone out of my croak. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I don’t want to grow old, get warts, age spots or lose the spring out of my hop.”
“It’s not just you,” she tried to explain. “We all will grow old. Why, baby, you have a long way to go. You’re still young, fit and spry.”
About that time, Butch the pond bully came up.
“What’s the matter blue frog?” he teased. “You catch a dragonfly or are you too weak and old? You’re just a loser and a basket case.”
“Leave him alone, Butch,” Sweetie interrupted.
“Girls, phooey,” said Butch as he turned around and hopped off.
Willie B. laid his head on Sweetie’s shoulder and sighed, “I feel so bad.”
“Maybe you need to see the doctor,” she said. “Maybe he can give you something to make you feel better. At least I hope he can. I hate to see you so down and out.”
“What’s up my man?” said James when he, Jimmy and Jim, Willie B.’s best friends, hopped up.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” replied Willie B. “I guess I caught a little bug,” he replied with a slight laugh.
“Don’t we all,” replied Jim as he grabbed a bug out of the air and ate it.
“Why, man, what’s happening?” asked Jimmy. “We don’t see much of you anymore.”
“Oh, I’ve been busy,” Willie B. replied.
James looked at him and said, “Willie B., you look so blue and sad. Why such a long face? You better get yourself together, bro. Do you think it was something you ate?”
“Hey, man,” said Jimmy, “we are going swimming. “Do you want to go?”
“No, not today,” he replied.
“He needs to go to the doctor,” Jim whispered to Sweetie. “He’s just not himself.”
“I know,” she replied.
“Let’s go, guys,” yelled James. “I’m ready to hit the water.”
“Me too,” replied Jim. “A cool dip will do me good.”
“Oh, by the way, Willie B.,” said Jimmy, “I like your shades.”
“Thanks,” replied Willie B. “I’ll see you guys later.”
As the threesome hopped off toward the deep end of the pond, Willie B. turned to Sweetie and said, “Maybe you are right. “Maybe I need to see the doctor. I miss having fun, laughing and courting my girl. Do you think the doctor will see me?”
“Sure,” she encouraged him, “the snake doctor will be glad to see you. Let’s see, he hangs around on the cattails a lot. Let’s hop over there and see if he’s in.”
Willie B. and Sweetie made their way over to the cattails. But, when they got there, they couldn’t find the snake doctor.
“Let’s wait here for him,” she said. “He may be making a house call.”
Time passed as they waited. They waited and waited for what seemed like forever.
“I don’t think he’s coming,” said Willie B.
“It may take a while, but he’ll be here,” Sweetie replied. “I want my old Willie B. back to cuddle up with me and catch me some dragonflies.”
About that time, up flew the snake doctor.
“Oh, oh, oh, what have we here?” he asked.
As Sweetie explained everything to the doctor, he flew about looking Willie B. over. Then he perched himself upon a cattail, rubbed his chin and scratched his head.
“Now let me see,” he said. “He doesn’t want to grow old. He is so blue and sad. And others have seen him this way too.”
“Why, yes,” she said. “Butch, James, Jimmy and Jim all saw him and they all said the same thing.”
“A blue frog,” stated the doctor. “This, I must say, is a first for me,” said the doctor.
“Can you help him?” asked Sweetie. “Surely there is something you can do.”
The doctor flew about him and looked him over again.
“Oh, oh, oh, what have we here?” he asked as he landed on top of a cattail.
The snake doctor told Sweetie to remove Willie B.’s shades from his face. Carefully, she reached over and removed the sunglasses from his face. As she slowly pulled them away, the bright light from the sun appeared.
“I’m well,” he cried while he hopped about. “Oh, thank you, doc. Thank you so much. I’m still young.” He hugged Sweetie and said, “You’re still as beautiful as ever.”
“What did you say Willie B.? Did you say as beautiful as ever? Are you telling me I wasn’t beautiful when you had the shades on?”
“Uh, oh,” said the doctor. “I think you said the wrong thing. Well an
yway,” he explained, “the dark glasses caused you to be sad and blue. The longer you wore them the more depressed you became. But when the light appeared, you became well again.”
“Thank you, doctor; thank you again,” said Willie B. and Sweetie.
“If you don’t mind, doctor, I want to try those shades on and see just how handsome Willie B. is to me,” said Sweetie. “Oh, baby,” she said, “look at you, dog. That’s exactly what I mean, a dog.”