Giggle Book Three
By Bobby A. Troutt
Copyright 2012 Bobby A. Troutt
Table of Contents
The Frog That Couldn’t Hop
The Man in the Moon
The Last Dinosaur
It Could Be Worse – It Could Be Raining
The Crooked Man Who Walked a Crooked Mile
Broken Hearts
A Fallen Sparrow
An Angel’s First Feather
Walking Between the Drops
An Apple for the Teacher
*****
Giggle Book Three
The Frog That Couldn’t Hop
In the tiny community of Hanging Limb lived a frog named Roy. He lived in the small pond nestled between the old mill and the Troutt’s homestead. Hanging Limb was so small people drove right through it and never realized it was there. The little community had a little country store, a church, an old mill and a few houses scattered here and there.
To Roy and the other frogs the pond was their whole world. At night the people in Hanging Limb enjoyed hearing the frogs sing, ribbitt, ribbitt, ribbitt. On those dark and hot summer nights, they would lie beside an open window with a soft breeze blowing in. They could hear the frogs croaking, in the distance, as the crickets chirped and the whippoorwills whistled, whippoorwill, whippoorwill.
Through the years, lots of frogs have called the pond home. Some have hopped on, but most of them stayed around old Hanging Limb. In those days, the pond was full of life and fun. At night they were all happy as they ribbitted and croaked the night away. The old bullfrogs would even hop up on the banks of the pond, above the cattails, and sing throughout the night, ribbitt, ribbitt, ribbitt.
Roy was different from the other frogs. He sat on his lily pad, day after day, while the others hopped around and played. You see, Roy couldn’t hop. Well, at least he thought he couldn’t. I don’t know if he just didn’t believe he could or if he was afraid to try. Roy would sit on his lily pad, night after night. His heart yearned to join them in song. But, he just couldn’t make it up onto the bank.
“What’s the matter, Roy?” asked Clarence the dragon fly as he buzzed by Roy’s head and landed on top of a cattail.
“Oh, nothing,” replied Roy. “I wish I could sing in the choir someday.”
“Sing in the choir,” laughed Clarence. “You’re never going to sing in the choir as long as you continue to sit on that lily pad.”
“I know,” replied Roy. “I may not sing but I can still catch you.”
Quickly, Roy shot his tongue at Clarence. Clarence zoomed by Roy.
“You missed me! You missed me!” he teased.
“I’ll get you next time,” said Roy with a smile.
Roy could swim as well or even better than the other frogs. He also had a great voice. It was a deep ribbitting voice with a clear croak. None of the other frogs could even come close; not even the bullfrogs. But, he couldn’t hop. Some of the frogs poked fun at Roy. They laughed at him and called him names like old lead foot.
They would all yell and sing Roy is a lead foot, a lead foot, a lead foot. Roy is an old lead foot, hoppity hop hop.
“Hey, Roy, get the lead out,” cried Billy bullfrog.
Roy just sat on his lily pad croaking; he didn’t pay him any attention.
“I wish I could hop like the others,” whispered Roy. “Then I would be like the other frogs and they wouldn’t be able to laugh at me; I’m tired of being different.”
There were some frogs who didn’t laugh at Roy. His friends tried their best to encourage him to hop. It didn’t work; he just couldn’t seem to get the hang of it. One day, Ollie, the oldest of the bullfrogs came by when Roy was sitting on his lily pad.
Ollie stuck his head up out of the water and said, “Roy, I have been keeping my eye on you and my ears as well. I have heard you sing and you have a fine voice, son. It’s not going to be long before I will be gone. The pond choir will need a new lead singer and I’d like for it to be you. What do you think about it?” he asked.
Roy swallowed hard and replied, “Ribbitt, I’d love to be the lead singer someday.”
“Hop on over to the bank tonight and join us,” Ollie stated right before he disappeared in the water.
Roy sat on his lily pad and thought about what Ollie had said. Slowly, saddened by his fear of hopping, his eyes filled with tears. As the tears ran from his eyes, one of them plopped into the water. Within a few minutes after it hit the water, Trudy the tadpole came to the surface.
“Psst,” whispered Trudy to Roy. “I believe one of your tears fell into the water and hit me on the head.”
“I’m sorry,” apologized Roy.
“That’s alright,” replied Trudy. “Why are you crying?” asked Trudy when she realized Roy was crying.
Roy ribbitted and wiped his eyes with his tongue. He told Trudy what Ollie had said about him singing lead in the pond choir.
“Well, that’s good news!” shouted Trudy.
“In a way,” replied Roy.
Trudy slowly turned to Roy and said, “I hope one day I can sit on a lily pad like you.”
“You do?” asked Roy.
“Yep, I would,” said Trudy. “And someday I will.”
“How can you be so sure?” questioned Roy as he wiped his nose.
“Because I believe,” shouted Trudy.
“Do you believe you will sing in the pond choir someday?” asked Trudy with a wink of her eye and a wide grin.
“No, I’m afraid not,” Roy replied. “I can’t hop.”
“Can’t hop?” giggled Trudy. “Why can’t you hop?”
“Because, I’m afraid,” cried Roy.
“Afraid of what?” asked Trudy.
“Afraid I can’t hop,” say Roy.
Trudy sat a minute on the edge of the lily pad and thought as her tail moved back and forth in the water creating ripples.
“You can hop, if you will believe. But, you have to believe,” Trudy stated.
“All I have to do is believe?” asked Roy.
“Yep,” replied Trudy. “You have to believe.”
All of a sudden, Roy perked up and moved to the edge of the lily pad. He took a deep breath and then belted out a loud ribbitt. Roy leaped forth with a big spring, stretched out, sat down hard on the lily pad and then fell off into the water.
As he hurriedly swam up to the surface, he looked over at Trudy and said, “Just believe.”
Trudy nodded her head. Roy flew off the lily pad toward the bright blue sky. Down deep into the water below he fell with a huge splash. Roy awkwardly surfaced to the top of the water again. He climbed once more upon the lily pad more determined than ever before.
“Just believe,” he said to Trudy as he kicked the water from his feet.
Trudy nodded her head, winked her eye at Roy and whispered, “Believe.”
Roy took a deep breath and ribbitted. He stretched out one leg as far as he could and then stretched out the other. He lifted his head and smiled real big. Off the lily pad he sprang and into the air he sailed.
“I believe! I believe!” he screamed.
Suddenly, he splashed down hard into the water.
In a few seconds, Roy burst to the top of the water screaming, “I believe! I believe!”
All the other frogs ribbitted and croaked; they were happy for Roy. The bullfrogs croaked, the young frogs ribbitted and Trudy lay upon the lily pad in the sun.
“Just believe, just believe,” she sang out.
Late that night, all was quiet around Hanging Limb and the pond. The pond choir hopped upon the banks to sing. Guess who hopped up to sing with them? Yep, you’re right. Roy!