Fortunate Frog

Cont'd from random question...

Percivalla was a young, inquisitive frog, quite adept at catching bugs. She also had the rare ability to scowl fiercely. So intimidating was the frightful face she could transform her otherwise pleasant appearance into, that she scared away even the largest predators in the firth - the dreaded storks. Who could possibly enjoy a meal, though plump and tender, that curdled blood just at the sight of?

But Percivella did have the unfortunate weakness of being struck with envy for the squirrel she often saw pouncing and bouncing along in its unending endeavor to find treasures amongst the fallen leaves, grass, and typical forest refuse. How luxurious was the squirrels' fur! And that tail! How perfectly cosy would it be to snuggle up with your squirrel family and wrap that thick plume of a tail around each other for comfort and warmth?

What did Percivella have? Well, she had the best flat rock in the pond, a view of the lily pads that produced the brightest pearly white flowers as far as the eye could see, and relative safety because of the tall slender grasses that grew behind her perch.

In the spirit of what we all tend to do, she herself wished for something different. Her skin was of the kind that no one would actually wish for - green and greasy looking, no matter that it was as healthy and clean as any frog could wish for. Percivella wished for something better.


That squirrel fur was looking better and better all the time. She knew though that if she wanted fur, it wasn't going to happen on its own. The words of her father came back to her about how if you want something bad enough you need to go out and MAKE it happen through hard work and diligence. He had done it himself when some larger animals had tried to make the pond their home. They would splash about, stirring up the mud, and they would crumple the grass he relied on for protection, and often squash the tinier animals with their clumsy feet or when they rolled around scratching their backs. He had taken care of them!, and all on his own because none of the other creatures had enough initiative to try anything themselves.

Well? How could one do this? How could one have fur if you were of the animal persuasion that could not ever grow it yourself?

She certainly had lots of time to ponder this, for her days were mostly about eating, preening, or being mindful of the intermittant dangers living out in the wild sometimes bring a young frog.

On a hot, dry day towards the end of summer, when her thoughts started to go towards the cooler weather that heralded the need for her to start considering her next hibernation, the squirrel happened closer than it usually did to the thicket of grass Percivella dwelled in.

"Uh, hi", Percivella called out, noticing the squirrel making eye contact with her for a split second, a seed stuck just to the side of its mouth.

"Oh, hello", it called back.
"I was just thinking about how beautiful your coat is and how you're probably thankful to have one when it gets cold", said Percivella.

"Yeah, I guess so", the squirrel answered a little absently," I don't think much about it, really".

"Do you think it would look as good on me, if I wore a thick coat like that?" she asked, half in jest, half in anticipation for a suggestion she hadn’t considered yet.

The squirrel thought for a moment and knew it had never seen a frog with fur. But if a beaver could swim and go about its business with a full body covering of fur even thicker than a squirrel's, then isn't it strange that a frog wasn't born to have it's own coat, even if it had to be green.
"Well, if you want fur, then why don't you just go find it?" commented the squirrel, "I find the most wonderous things in my travels. The trick is you have to keep your eyes on the lookout and your nose to the ground".

Percivella looked doubtful. Who would leave a coat of fur just lying around? It likely wouldn't be the right size anyway. If only she had just a small patch of fur that she could place on her head once in a while when the sun was especially intense, to shade her from burning up. That way she wouldn't necessarily have to get all wet by diving into the cool water for some respite. If she had her wish, she would have just a cap for her head with a longer piece that would trail down her back while she sat, or would twirl and spring about her in a pretty fashion as she swam. Hmmm..that was going to be some tall order, she mused to herself.

The squirrel went away, but came back the next day, looking out specifically this time for Percivalla. “I had a thought”, it said, when it spotted Percivalla finishing her breakfast. Percivalla was pleased the squirrel had sought her out and was especially delighted at the prospect of being told how she could get the cap of fur she pined for.

“What you seek is called a ‘wig’. My momma told me this. She also told me that she’s never seen any animal, ever, to actually wear one, although she’s seen male deer that have fuzz on their antlers. It grows there, though, and the deer go to great pains to remove it”. The squirrel continued, “but she did have a suggestion. She said what you need is to find a leaf the size of the cap you want, find something gooey, like sap from a tree…there’s some trees over yonder that produce sap.. spread that over both sides of your leaf and then stick fur on one side. Where are you going to get fur, you are wondering?” Percivalla nodded, lost in thought. “Why, from us”, the squirrel added gleefully, happy that it could place the last piece of the puzzle, and that the frog would be so astounded by what the squirrel KNEW was an astounding idea, if it thought so itself!

“You’re not going to take off your coat!”, Percivalla sounded thoroughly alarmed. Removal of a squirrel’s coat was going just too far.

“No, silly”, said the squirrel. We will be shedding our old summer coats soon to make way for our winter ones, and as the fur gathers, instead of just dropping it out of our home in the tree to fall on the forest floor like we always do, we will gather it and bring it to you. Our little paws will be especially more suited to sticking the fur to the leaf too, you just need to gather the rest of the materials. Let us know when you are ready, in another month or so, and we’ll start providing the fur.

Percivalla was beside herself with joy, and she jumped up, clapping her back flippers in the air. She was deeply thankful for the effort the squirrel family was willing to go to to help a virtual stranger. She would have to think long and hard about some way to repay them.

Five weeks later, the pond water was starting to get the first Autumn chills in the mornings and Percivalla knew it was time to start making preparations for the winter. By now the squirrels would be in full swing gathering their hoard of nuts, seeds, and fruit for their own months of hiding away from the inclement and sometimes dangerous weather.