Magic of the Frogs

Sitting at the bottom of a hill in the shade of an old apple tree laid the small town of Covington. It resembled a miniature version of most small farm towns. Freshly plowed fields, cobblestone walks, tiny houses, and resting at the base of the tree, a Keep, with high walls and a draw bridge. Some would say, “It is like any other town”, but nobody’s ever seen another one, and those who went out to look had never returned. Frogs of all sorts and sizes walked the streets with the hustle and bustle of the day’s activities. Bastion was more than glad to be home, but before he could sit and have a good meal he had to go to the Keep and give his report. Baldar, an extremely large bullfrog who was almost twice as tall as Bastion, stood at the front gate of the Keep. He was the self-proclaimed leader of their town, and though no one liked him much, none wished to challenge him for he was the strongest and largest of them all. “So, what news do you bring me from the pond, Bastion?” Baldar said, in a deep-throated voice. “There is nothing new to report Baldar. Just the same old, same old, lots of fish and dragon flies.” he said, as a glint of devilishness came to his eyes. “Oh yes, and of course a couple of snakes.” “SNAKES!” Baldar said, in a quivering voice, as he back-stepped and cringed back into the Keep. Baldar was deathly afraid of snakes and trembled at the very word. Bastion smiled and tried to hold back a laugh. For he loved to tell him that, so every once in a while he would throw that into his report even if it didn’t actually happen. It was a good way for him to end quickly his report and get a little amusement at the same time.