Janet the Tiny Frog
By Elder Chandler
Janet
was a tiny frog.
She could fit on the end of your pinkie and lived alone, on a rock, in a smalish pond, in the Giant Woods. The woods were so giant, if she hopped in one direction for her entire life, she would never leave the woods. Everywhere she looked there was woods. Woods woods woods. Hop hop. Woods. there were three colors in the woods, lightish brown, darkish brown, and green. Janet was kindof a mix of all three as far as she could tell, which she didn't mind, because sometimes she had to hide from frog eating beasts! She closes her eyes and shivers every time she thinks about it.
One day, she hopped off her rock, splashed to shore and started hopping. Hop hop. Not long later, she met a darkish brown ant named Henry. “What’s your name?” said Janet.
“Henry.” said Henry, and she ate him.
Soon, she hopped across a lightish brown moth. “Hello!” said the moth.
“Hello,” said Janet, “what’s your name?”
“Matilda,” replied the moth, “and yours?”
“It’s a secret.” said Janet.
“Really? Why?” said the moth.
“That’s a secret too. But I’ll tell you if you promise not to tell anyone else. Come here.”
Matilda fluttered near and Janet ate her.
Hop hop hop.
At this point, it was time for a nap. Luckily, she had hopped in a circle so with a hop, splash and a snuggle, she was safe on her rock and back to sleep.
To this day, Janet is still not sure how long she slept, which wouldn’t be significant had she not had a fantastic dream about a very handsome boy frog moving into the Giant Woods and falling in love with her. Which she did, which wouldn’t be important had just such a frog not come into her life moments after she awoke. Wouldn’t you know it? That happened, with one, undreamed up, twist. Jake was seven colors, blue, purple, red, orange, yellow, indigo, and violet. He was also a bit bigger than Janet. He would probably need your index finger.
Hop! Splash! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Suddenly, Janet was all wet and Jake was laughing. “What’s your name?” asked Jake.
“I think you should go away.” said Janet.
“That’s a nice name. I’m Jake.” said Jake, “Do you think you might spare a spot on this lake so we can be neighbors?”
“No.” Said Janet. as she turned away, but Jake was already rolling in a white rock to live on. Janet rolled her eyes and went back to sleep.
The next morning, when Janet again awoke, Jake was nowhere to be seen. His rock was still there though, which was no comfort to Janet, but it was breakfast time, so she started her morning hop. Hop hop hop.
In the distance, she saw a darkish brown beetle named Ted, making a basket out of grass strands. She pounced him and listened to him scream last words of undying love for his ten children as she devoured his flesh. Hop hop hop hop.
Hoppity hop. After some exercise, she came across a spider, spinning a web between two twigs. She knocked down her work and howled “What’s your name!?”
“B-b-b-b-b-Bonnie!” Whimpered the spider as Janet ripped off her legs one by one and fed them to her.
“Goodbye Bonnie!” was the last thing Bonnie heard before her head was bitten off. Six spider siblings sobbed uncontrollably six or so inches away. Janet hummed a tune to their wails as she hopped home. On her way she hopped by Jake who was admiring some flowers. “Goodmorning I Think You Should Go Away!” Said Jake.
“Pansy.” thought Janet and with a hop and a splash she was back in bed.
When she awoke the next day, Janet was hungry. Jake was already gone again. “Prolly having another staring contest with posies.” though Janet, and she splash/hopped away.
On her hop she found a giant anthill. “RUNAWAY!” screamed the ants. “SHE’S BACK!” yelled a few of the older ones who remembered the last time this happened. “AaGAglAblaGlAblagalaBLAgalALaglabaLAAAAAA!” screamed a gargled mix of ants, many of which were being sucked into Janet's mouth as she gormandized upon them. Utter chaos ensued. ‘
Janet was enjoying herself too much to notice what was going to happen next in the story. She hummed a tune, skipped around and tried to see how many live ants she could fit in her mouth at one time. For those of you who haven’t tried this, getting a lot in there is quite a talent. Even harder is not spitting them out when they tickle at the back at your throat.
When she had had her fill, she flopped a few hops away from the feast.
Suddenly, the sky when black. All was quiet. Janet hiccuped, then, out of nowhere, appeared a big black FROG EATING BEAST! It was the biggest, most frightening thing Janet had ever seen. She closed her eyes and shook violently, then laid paralyzed with fear. “WHAT’S YOUR NAME MS FROG!!” Wailed the beast.
“Blend in. Blend in. Blend in!” she thought.
“ANSWER ME!!”
Then there was a soft “pita pat” of a light “hoppity hop” nearby. The beast let out a high pitched scream of fear and rolled himself into a ball and cried. Then he fluttered away, muttering something indiscernible.
Janet could hardly think through the tears, but she opened one eye. All she could see was a blur of color and light. She quickly shut her eyes tight, afraid she might be experiencing a fear induced hallucination.
“I Think You Should Go Away! are, are you ok?”asked Jake.
“Jake?” asked janet as she squinted up at the blur of color standing carefully over her.
“yes. Its me. Are you ok?”
“Don’t touch me!”
“Sheesh, I was just trying to check your pulse babe. Are you alright?”
She wanted to say something sarcastic but she couldn’t speak through the trauma. She looked at jake and started to cry. Jake didn’t say a word, he just nodded empathetically, helped her up, and lightly brushed tears from her face.
“It’s going to be ok.” he said, “Why don’t you and I go on a little hop.”
Janet didn’t say anything, but she hopped along beside Jake down a grassy knoll. Wisps of wind wafted across leaves of grass in a low whistle that over-toned the occasional light whimper. Janet was glad of that. She had never felt like such a sissy. “How did he do that?” Janet befuddled, “ how could such a pansy be so brave? What does he have that I don’t?” She took a deep, shaky breath. Jake slowed to a stop.
“How do you feel Janet?”
After a slightly awkward pause, Janet responded, “I’m scared. I’m angry. Embarrassed. Confused. I just don’t understand. Jake, I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I told you i didn’t want you here and I don’t want to know you! You’re inconsiderate of my wishes and I wish you would go away! I’ve never met such a flaming weirdo in all my life and I never plan to again! Who do you think you are anyway? Well? Who?!”
Jake silently looked into Janet’s eyes waiting if there was anything else she had to get out. “I’m Jake,” said Jake, “and your name is Janet and you have a lot of questions. Which do you think is the most important?”
Janet didn’t expect that kind of response. There was more silence as she looked away. “Jake, why was the frog eating beast so afraid of you? What makes you different?”
“Well that’s actually two questions, but I’ll do my best to answer both. Janet, have you ever considered,” Jake took in his surroundings and hopped to some roadside flowers, “... a lily?”
Janet rolled her eyes.
“I’m serious.” insisted Jake. “Have you ever thought about it? A lily doesn’t do anything! It just sits there ant grows. It doesn’t go out of its way to contribute. It doesn’t build houses of buy fancy clothes. Shoot! It doesn’t even find it’s own food. Yet, the richest creature in this world isn’t arrayed like one of these little beauties!”
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it Janet! The fouls of the air, they sow not, neither do they ream, nor gather into barns yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you much better than they? Once we start realizing these things, our lives start falling into place.”
Janet sighed.
“Janet, what do you want to change about your life?”
A thirty second pause here felt like an hour.
“Jake, I don’t feel like I’m worth it. You’re wasting your time! Every morning I get up and I glut the maw of death upon everything in my path. I know it’s wrong. I just don’t think I can change. I just don’t think any amount of flower gazing is gonna change me! I LIKE KILLING! ... to be honest though,”
She stopped. In a forced, barely audible whisper, she finished, “it’s killing me.”
Jake looked at Janet, took a deep breath and confessed, “you and I are not that different. The stuff I was doing about a year ago makes me cringe. I still dream about it. The night terrors I have would make your skin peal. You know that moment just before a caterpillar lets the blood trauma go to his head? When his screams degrade into absolute delirium? I’ve been there every night, giggling through it one moment and then experiencing his end the next. Every day I’m tempted to go back, but I remember the commitment that I’ve made. I remember the day I realized I couldn’t live that way anymore. The day I took the first step. Today is that day for you. It’s so exciting Janet! Janet, I’m different because I now how to repent! I know I’m not doomed to a life of sin. I don’t know if I can say I’m saved, but I sing the song of redeeming love.”
Something in the following silence clicked inside of Janet. She wasn’t changed. She just felt like perhaps she could change, with help and a little effort. “What do I need to do?” she asked.
Jake explained to her the process of repentance, of making things right again with God. “Just remember that you aren’t doing this for me or anyone else. This is between you and the Lord. He has taken upon himself your infirmities, your weaknesses, your sins. Now He is calling you to come unto Him. His burden is light. his yoke is easy. What’s more, I’m here!” and he gave her a light kiss on the cheek.” lets hop home. You’re got a lot to sleep on.”
They hopped to their pond and said their goodnights before settling into their respective stones and drifting to sleep. Janet though about lilies as she closed her eyes and, for the first time in her life, said a prayer. “Thank you, Lord. I’m nervous, I’m afraid, but I think with your help I can do this.”
As the sun slowly rose over the horizon the next morning, Janet opened her eyes to a new outlook. She looked at her reflection and took a deep breath. “I can do this.” she thought. She didn’t even notice the streak of teal across her face and the little bits of purple in her eyes. She did notice though that Jake was already on his morning hop. With a splash and a “hop hop,” she too was on her way, ready for anything.
The End.
Ps.
REPENT REPENT REPENT REPENT REPENT!!
