“Frog: another dream in the collection”
by Zoe P.
As we walked below the rows of slightly disheveled houses, something cold and sticky landed with a slap on my leg. I squeaked with alarm and Harper had to grab my hand to keep me from skidding off of the hill into traffic below. He pulled me to the highest point of the hill above the highway as I kicked my leg to get the thing off. “Stop squirming, will you?” Harper said, sighing as he crouched down and observed my bare calf. He reached out his hands and cupped them around my pants, pulling off a small green blob. It looked cautiously at me, with beady gold eyes. The thing’s damp rectangular pupils pulsated as it stared at me, perfectly still in Harper’s pale hand.
“Hey, look, Greyson. A frog!” The small amphibian crawled sluggishly over Harper’s fingers. “This little guy hitched a ride on you, I guess.” His sarcastic instincts kicked in and he smirked at me. “This? A frog as long as my finger is what almost sent you flying into traffic?” My neck turned beet red and I glared accusingly at the frog, whose face showed no remorse for his crime.
“Don’t say you wouldn’t freak out if you felt something slimy on your leg,” I retorted.
He laughed. “Hey, you bump into my legs all the time. Do you see me almost slide into 75 mile per hour traffic?” I groaned. ”And this little guy is so cute! Can we keep him?” Harper swooned over the little frog, who was staring unblinkingly at him.
“I think he lives here, Harper. Maybe we shouldn’t relocate him,” I suggested. He pouted and put the frog on the ground next to my foot.
“Bye, little guy!” Harper gave him a tall salute before turning to me. We kept walking the way we were going. “I think I want a frog now, Greyson. Do you think we could get a frog someday?”
I smiled. “Maybe. It’s another dream to add to our collection.”
The sounds of the highway mingled with the sound of frogs croaking behind us.