The gate groaned as she pushed, the bottom grazing the greenish dirt. The air was chilly and moist around the pond, the reeds standing like guards around it. Princess Rebecca searched, over fallen logs, behind red mushrooms, over lily pads, but she couldn’t see any frogs.
‘Hello?’ said the princess out loud. If this frog was a master of something and was to give her information, clearly it was some kind of magical, talking animal, reasoned Rebecca.
‘Er...hello? I’m Princess Rebecca... I’m looking for Grand Master #39...the Wicked Witch said I should talk to you ...’
Silence.
‘She said you could give me some clues,’ continued Rebecca, ‘something to help me find the four charms...’
Silence.
Rebecca felt a big lump on her throat.
‘Please sir, I truly need your help...I only have until sun set... please?
Silence.
Princess Rebecca dropped on the grass. It was hopeless! The Witch was obviously playing with her! There was no Grand Master #39 or 40 or 102, just her and the pond and the funny looking tadpole that was wiggling like crazy on the top of the water. Then she heard it: a tiny voice coming from somewhere near the border of the pond. Rebecca pushed the reeds aside. Then she noticed the tadpole again, jumping in the air.
‘What’s that?’ the girl asked
The tadpole said something, but she could not understand. Rebecca lowered herself until her face was almost touching the water.
‘I’m Grand Master #39,’ said the tadpole. ‘How can I serve you, my child?’
Princess Rebecca winced.
‘You are Grand Master #39? You are meant to be a frog!’
‘I am a frog.’
‘No, you are a tadpole.’
‘I am a frog in the inside and soon I will be a frog on the outside.’
‘True, but, right now you are just a teeny little tadpole.’
‘I am little only on the outside. Inside, I am as a big as the universe.’
‘That’s impossible.’
‘Nothing is impossible, if you know how.’
‘How to what?’
‘How to do it, how to see it, how to change it and how to use it to your advantage.’
‘Very well Mr. Smarty pants...’
‘Grand Master #39, if you please.’
‘Fine, Grand Master # 39, how do I find the four charms?’
‘You find the key to the door that opens from the inside.’
‘And how do I find the key?’
‘You convince the Lucky Clover to help you.’
‘And how do I find the Lucky Clover?’
‘You walk down the Dangerous Path, which starts at the other side of the pond.’
‘Alright then, I better get going. Thank you for your help.’
‘Ahem...’
‘What?’
‘Aren’t you going to ask me anything else?’
‘What else can I ask?’
‘Think.’
‘Let’s see: to find the charms, I find the key, the clover, the path...’
‘The Dangerous Path.’
‘So, do I need weapons?’
‘You are a champion in a quest; you need the gear that is best for you.’
‘I’m not a champion. I’m only a kid.’
‘And I’m only a tadpole, and yet, I am a Grand Master and you are a Champion on the...’
‘I know, I know: on the inside.’
The tadpole smiled.
‘Where do I find this gear?
‘Look about you.’
Princess Rebecca explored around the pond. At first all she could see were trees, bushes and reeds. Then she noticed a sword; and a knight’s armour. There were also shields, lances, arrows and bows hidden amid the vegetation. And, oddly enough, there was also a pair of silver ballerina slippers, glittering like diamonds on the top of a rock.
‘I’ll take the armour and the sword and the lance and maybe the bow and arrows too,’ Rebecca said excitedly.
‘Are you a warrior?’ asked Grand Master #39.
‘No.’
‘A swordswoman, a lancer, an archer?’
‘No, no and no - but you did say I was on a quest and that nothing was impossible if you knew how.’
‘Do you know how to use any of these things?’
‘No. Maybe you can teach me?’
‘Before sun set? You think?’
‘Oh, please! Are you truly going to tell me to use the slippers as my champion’s gear? They are just shoes! Is it because I’m a girl?’
‘No. It is because you are a dancer.’
Rebecca’s eyes widened.
‘How do you know that?’
‘What kind of Grand Master would I be if I didn’t find out things about the people around me?’
‘But, how can they help me find the charms?’
‘Nothing is impossible if you know how to use things in your favour, remember? Now, take them and go –your quest awaits.’
Princess Rebecca took the slippers and then stood still, looking at the tadpole.
‘What is it, my child?’ asked Grand Master #39.
‘What if I can’t do this? What if I can’t finish the Dangerous Path? What if I can’t complete my quest and my parents and friends stay as stones forever?’
‘Those are a lot of “ifs”. Ask yourself this: what if you can do it? What if you do finish the path and do save your friends and family? You don’t know what you can or cannot do until you do it. A wise man once said: the journey of 10,000 miles starts with a few steps. Put your shoes on, my child, and take those first steps. Now, go’
Rebecca smiled and put the slippers on her feet. She moved towards the other side of the pond and then stopped.
‘What happened to Grand Master #38?’ she asked.
‘She became a grown-up frog and sort of lost interest in the wisdom business,’ Grand Master #39 answered. ‘I hear she’s doing quite well, though, teaching yoga to a few fat toads.’
Princess Rebecca smiled and walked away. The tadpole lingered a bit on the surface of the pond and then, with a short but graceful jump, dived back in, leaving a few watery rings behind. On the other side of the pond, dark clouds dangled on the sky. A second gate creaked as the princess pushed it with all her might and started her journey down the Dangerous Path.
***