Raised By Frogs

The past two weeks had gone by relatively fast for the Plantar family, which now included Anne, the strange new creature that had walked into their lives, and into their hearts.

Anne still thought about home, and about Maggie and Domino, but she was also intrigued by her new home, wanting to learn as much as she could about the strange, frog-filled world she now lived in.

She and Sprig- who had now grown legs, shed his tadpole tail and was starting to look like an actual frog- were thick as thieves, absolutely inseparable from one another. They spent every moment of every day together, playing games, sneaking snacks, swimming in the pond behind the house, pranking Hop Pop, taking care of Bessie, the Plantar’s enormous snail, and using Sprig’s slingshot to shoot pebbles and rotten produce at random, unsuspecting frogs from the window of Sprig’s room- which Anne now shared with him.

While Hop Pop had been highly suspicious of the weird looking creature at first, his suspicions soon dissipated after the first day or so, seeing how she and Sprig got along and played together. He also considered that, since she was just a bit older than Sprig, and seemed to be a strong little thing, she could possibly help out on the farm- at least as long as no one was around to see her.

As long as no one saw her and started a panic, they’d be fine.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

The issue of Anne not being seen was getting a bit serious.

Anne was very energetic and easily bored, as most children her age were, and being confined to the house was wearing her out. She needed to go out more, do more things, see more things, otherwise she’d go absolutely insane. The girl was already getting stir crazy from doing the same things for two weeks straight.

However, Hop Pop still didn’t feel safe letting her out into the public eye.

He feared how the other frogs would react, wondering if any of them would try and hurt her or even hurt him for housing her.

He’d also gotten incredibly panicked after a troop of soldiers from Newtopia had come to Wartwood, inquiring about a strange box and whether or not anyone had seen any strange creatures.

Hop Pop had been very, VERY close to having a panic attack upon hearing the soldier’s inquiries, but somehow he’d managed to keep it together and act as if he’d seen nothing while the soldiers had been in Wartwood.

After they’d left, he’d immediately asked Anne if anyone else had seen her when she’d arrived in Amphibia. She’d said no, and while Hop Pop believed her, he still felt incredibly nervous having her at the house, and was far more paranoid about anyone seeing her, making sure that he kept the doors locked while she was in the house, making sure that she was always within his sight and was asleep before he went to sleep, and making sure that when she and Sprig out swimming or helping out with Bessie that no one else was around to see them.

Hop Pop knew he couldn’t keep her hidden forever, and all the paranoia and secrecy wasn’t good for him or the two kids, but the fear of something terrible happening because he’d let Anne out into the open outweighed his desire to see Anne finally get to go out and play and be free.

But for how long could he keep hiding her?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hop Pop looked down at his lukewarm mug of tea, sighing, distress and frustration evident in his eyes.

He wasn’t sure how much longer he could keep doing this.

He was constantly stressed and on edge, always worried that somehow someone would see Anne and all hell would break loose.

It wasn’t doing him any good to be so jumpy and tense all the time, he knew that, but he found it impossible for him to let his guard down when Anne and Sprig were constantly hopping around the house or splashing about in the pond behind the house.

He found it harder to get work done on the farm, and he hadn't been to his vegetable stand in a while, which had caused their income to dwindle quite a bit. If he didn’t go out to the stand and sell his produce, it’d mean no money, and no money meant no food for both him and the two hungry young children he was currently taking care of.

He HAD to get over his paranoia and go out, start working again, start adjusting to his situation, but the mere thought of leaving Anne alone in the house alone,where anything could happen to her made his heart race with anxiety.

”Hey Hop Pop! Look what I caught!!”

The old frog jumped, turning to see Anne holding a wriggling little fish in her right hand, smiling wide. She was absolutely soaked, reeking of pond water, and her face, swimsuit, hands, legs and feet were all splattered in mud.

”Holy mother of Frog, girl! What did you do?” He asked in a semi-scolding tone, eyeing the muddy footprints that now covered the floor.

”Sprig and I were gonna go fishing, but we couldn’t find the fishing rods, so we thought we’d just use our hands instead!”

“Well how'd you get all muddy?”

“My fishie got out of my hand when I went up for air and got in a mud puddle, I had to go in and grab him!”

Hop Pop sighed, pinching his temple. ”Uuuugh...Anne, I suggest you go put the fish back in the pond before he dies from lack of water.”

Anne looked at the fish, which was now flapping around more slowly, it’s eyes a bit glassy.

”Oh! Sorry Mr Fish!” She said, running back out, leaving another trail of muddy footprints in the house.

Hop Pop shook his head, then turned to look at the frog egg, which was wrapped in a blanket and resting in it’s basket on the kitchen table.

”I do hope you ain’t as troublesome as those two kids are… ” He said softly, looking at it, his gaze softening.

It’d be hatching any day now…

The sound of someone knocking on the front door made Hop Pop jump, panic flooding his veins.

He hadn't had any visitors for the past two weeks, which had been a relief considering his fears over Anne being seen.

Now that he suddenly had someone knocking on his door, he had no idea what he was going to do.

Anne was out back, but she could run in the house at any minute, but then if he left the visitor waiting at the door, they might go check the back of the house to see if he was there and see Anne.

He breathed in, trying to calm down and not let himself have a panic attack. As long as he kept an eye on the doors and windows...watched for any signs of the kids coming in… made sure that the kids didn’t enter the house...hell maybe the visitor wouldn’t even stay that long and was just there to say hello or sell him something…

He inhaled, walking over to the front door and slowly opening it.

”Hey Mr Plantar!”

Hop Pop looked down to see Ivy Sundew, Sprig’s best friend since he was just a newly hatched tadpole, who, just like Sprig, had recently shed her tadpole tail and had grown her legs. She smiled wide, her wild orange hair obscuring her big eyes.

”O-oh! Hello Ivy! What brings you here?” Hop Pop asked, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

“Oh, I just wanted to see if Sprig wanted to come out and play today! It’s been forever since I saw him last!”

“Hey Ivy!”

Hop Pop jumped, seeing a pond water- soaked Sprig behind him, holding a large fish in his small, twiggy arms, struggling to keep ahold of it as it flapped about.

”Hey Sprig!!”

Ivy barged in, Hop Pop freezing.

“Uh-Ivy-“ Hop Pop began, not wanting the tadpole to go any further into the house, his fear of Anne being seen skyrocketing.

”C’mon Ivy! I have someone I want you to meet!” Sprig said, taking Ivy by the hand and running outside,Hop Pop letting out a terrified yelp.

”NONONO!!!” He yelled, running after the two young frogs.

But it was too late.

Ivy now stood in front of Anne,who smiled at her, her face still covered in splotches of mud.

”Hi!” Anne said, smiling and waving at her.

Ivy looked at her with wide eyes, then smiled wide with excitement.

”What are you?!?” Ivy asked.

“A human!”

“What’s that?”

The two began chatting, Sprig chasing after his fish, which had slipped out of his arms and was flopping about on the slippery, muddy ground.

Hop Pop was panicking, his breathing growing fast as his heart pounded in his chest.

Now that Ivy had seen Anne, she was going to tell everyone!

He inhaled, trying to prevent himself from hyperventilating, watching the three kids as his panic-stricken mind tried to think of how to handle the situation.

He could always ask Ivy to keep it a secret, tell her that they could get in trouble if she told anyone-

”Hoppadiah?”

Hop Pop turned, gasping as he saw Felicia, Ivy’s mother, standing behind him.

” I’m terribly sorry to barge in, but Ivy ran over here , and I suspect it was to avoid her chores...” Felicia said, smiling cordially at the old frog, oblivious to the look of terror and panic on his sweaty face.

”Uh-uh-uh....” Hop Pop struggled to speak.

Dear Frog this couldn’t get any worse…

”Hey mom! Come meet Anne! She’s a human!”

Ivy ran in, holding Anne’s hand, the human girl smiling at Felicia.

”Hi Ivy’s mom!” Anne said, smiling.

Felicia took one look at the little creature holding her daughter’s hand.. .then proceeded to shriek like a banshee.

“OH MY FROG!! IVY GET AWAY FROM THAT THING!” Felicia screamed, her eyes wide with pure terror.

Anne and Ivy both jumped back, startled.

“ Mom it’s okay, she’s not a beast,she’s a human-“ Ivy began, her sentence cut short as Felicia grabbed Her and began running,screaming as she ran into town.

”BEAST! BEAST! SOMEONE GET THE CONSTABLE! ANYONE! THERE'S A MONSTER AT THE PLANTAR’S HOUSE!!”

Hop Pop was frozen in place, having a full blown panic attack as disaster all unfolded around him.

Oh dear Frog! Oh dear sweet fucking Frog!!! The whole damn town was gonna know now!!

He was hyperventilating, looking over at Anne and Sprig, who both had scared, confused looks on their faces.

”Hop Pop, Why was Ms. Sundew screaming? Why was she scared?” Spring asked, Hop Pop struggling to both find words and breathe.

``W-Well Sprig, um...I’m...I’m afraid… Anne you need to hide right now!!”

He was terrified for her safety, not knowing what the townsfolk would do to her once they got to her. He immediately ran to the trap door to the basement, opening it.

“Anne, get in here now-”

”THERE! THERE IT IS!!”

Hop Pop whipped around, seeing what had to be the whole town crowding his front doorway, gawking as Felicia stood in front of them all, pointing at Anne, who was now backing away, looking fearful..

Why was everyone pointing at her and looking at her like she was a monster? What had she done???

Hop Pop was struggling to think of what to do next, looking at Anne,then at the townspeople. What the frog hell was he going to do now?!?! He could hear the townsfolk murmuring amongst themselves, their eyes all on Anne.

“What is it?”

“ Think it eats frogs?”

“ Maybe it’s got claws and teeth!”

“Hoppadiah, are you and Sprig okay?!?” One frog asked.

Hop Pop couldn’t speak, his throat closed up by panic.

The town constable came forward, pushing past Hop Pop as he walked into the house,holding a large wire net

`”Step aside Mr Plantar! We’ll get the thing outta your house!”

He started walking towards Anne, holding the net up.

Sprig ran in front of him, arms open in defense.

“ Don’t hurt her!! She hasn’t hurt anyone! She's my friend!!!” Sprig said, standing in front of the constable, who shoved the young frog aside.

“ Out of the way boy! You get yourself somewhere safe while I take on this beast.”

He stared down at Anne, who was looking up at him, her eyes filled to the brim with fear.

What did she do? What did she do now?Why did everyone hate her?!?

Why didn’t anyone want her around?

Just as the constable raised the net, Hop Pop bolted in front of Anne, glaring up at the constable, eyes full of a rage possessed only by a parent trying desperately to defend their young.

”YOU AINT LAYIN’ A HAND ON THIS GIRL, OR ANY OF MY CHILDREN FOR THAT MATTER! YOU GET THE FROG HELL AWAY FROM HER!!” He roared,the constable jumping back in surprise as the old frog stood his ground, Sprig running up and standing next to him, his arms crossed.

”Anne hasn’t done anything wrong! She’s never tried to hurt me, or Hop Pop, or my little sibling, or Ivy! So why are you all trying to hurt her?!?” Sprig asked the crowd, looking at each and every one of them as they began to think over the question they’d been asked.

”Well, what If she’s a danger to us?” One frog asked.

“She’s not! She’s been with us for two weeks now and has never tried to hurt any of us!!” Sprig said.

The townspeople looked at Hop Pop, who had calmed down a bit and caught his breath.He looked up at the town,then sighed.

”Sprig’s right. Anne has been staying with us for two weeks. I took her in because she somehow wandered out of her world and got into ours, and can;’t find a way back to her world. Now I know how you all feel, I was scared of her at first too, but don’t you worry, she’s no threat. She's just a little girl, a very scared little girl who doesn’t know where she is or how to get back home. She might look different, but she’s really not as different from us as you may think. She speaks our language, she’s friendly, she’s willing to help out on the farm-.”

“Plus she likes beetle buns!” Sprig piped up, Hop Pop giving him a slight smile.

”Look, all I’m tryna say is that she’s not a threat to any of us. She’s a good lil kid and a good friend for my grandson. I’m takin’ full responsibility of her, and I’ll make sure that she doesn’t bother any of you while she’s here. Just please, don’t hurt her...she ain’t done nothin to anybody and she doesn’t want to do anything to anybody.”

The townspeople slowly looked at each other, then looked back at Hop Pop, slowly nodding or murmuring “Okay.” , or “Alright”.

“ ...Thank you...Oh, and please...Don’t let word of Anne get outside of Wartwood, we don’t need anyone else getting involved with this and I don’t wanna risk her gettin’ hurt.” Hop Pop said.
The frogs all looked at each other once more, then turned to Hop Pop, nodding or murmuring confirmations that they wouldn’t let word of the girl get out.

Mayor Toadstool, the large,teal toad mayor of the town, walked out in front of the crowd, looking down at Hop Pop sternly.

“ As long as you keep your word about takin’ care of her and makin’ sure she doesn’t pose a threat to any of us...then you have our word.”

“ I swear on my life, sir. She won’t be a bother to anyone.”

The mayor eyed him, then turned, leaving. The crowd slowly began to dissipate, the townsfolk all going back to their daily lives and chatting amongst each other, acting as if they hadn’t just seen some otherworldly creature just minutes ago.

Hop Pop breathed in, then gave a sigh of relief.

Thank Frog no one had gotten hurt… that had actually gone down a lot better than he’d imagined it would have.

”Well Anne, looks like you won’t have to be a secret anymore-”

Hop Pop turned to see the girl curled up in on herself, hiding her face in her hands as she shook and sobbed.

”W-What d-did I d-d-do t-to...Why d-did...I...”

The poor girl was obviously pretty badly shaken from the whole experience, as would anyone be.

Sprig went over to her, sitting beside her and rubbing her back.

“It's okay Anne, no one’s gonna hurt you, not on my watch!” He said, trying to comfort his friend.

Hop Pop walked over, sitting down in front of Anne and gently grabbing her shoulders. She looked up,sniffling, tears streaming down her face.

”H-Hop Pop w-What’d I-“

“You didn’t do anything, dear, it’s alright...they were just shocked to see you...but no one wants to hurt ya, you haven’t done anything...we’re gonna make sure you’re safe Anne, I promise...”

Anne slowly wrapped her arms around him, Hop Pop hugging back, patting her back as Sprig hugged her around her waist.

”Ssssh......it’s okay now.....no one has to be scared anymore......ssssh....”
__________________________________________.

The next day, Hop Pop found himself waking up on the couch, Anne and Sprig fast asleep next to him, the egg across from him on

He smiled, ruffling Anne’s hair and patting Sprig on the head,and got up, cracking his back as he stretched out.

He checked the egg in it’s basket, making sure it was safe, then he went into the kitchen, looking around for something he could fix for breakfast.

… Only to find that they had absolutely nothing in the way of breakfast food- nothing that would take a short time to cook and serve or provide them all decent energy for the work day ahead.

They could always pick something out of the garden, but with two, soon to be three, little mouths to feed, he couldn’t really spare a piece of produce that could be sold to help feed them.

Hop Pop looked around for his satchel, finding it and then finding the bag of coppers he kept inside it, making sure he had enough to buy a few things. The kids would probably be asleep for another hour or so, and as long as he kept the doors locked, they’d probably be fine.

He started walking to the front door, stopping in his tracks as he heard Sprig yawn.

”Hop Pop? Where Are you going?” Sprig asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“To get us something for breakfast, and maybe a few other things.” Hop Pop replied softly.

“Can we come with you?” The young frog asked, slowly sliding himself off the couch.

Hop Pop raised an eyebrow. ”Well, I’d prefer it if both you and Anne went with me, Anne has yet to wake up-”

Just then, Anne sat up, stretching.

”Mmmmm...morning Hop Pop...” The girl said groggily, her eyes opening slowly.

“ Morning Anne! Hop Pop’s gonna go out into town and grab us some food! Wanna come with?” Sprig asked, smiling wide.

Anne looked at Hop Pop, hesitating. The townsfolk hadn’t exactly seemed very friendly yesterday...if she went into town...would they try and hurt her again?

Sprig noticed the worry in her eyes, slowly going over and resting a hand on Anne’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry about the townspeople, They won’t hurt you! Besides, me and Hop Pop will protect you, right Hop Pop?”

Sprig and Anne both looked up at Hop Pop, who nodded, giving Anne a reassuring smile.

”Now Anne, if you don’t wanna come with us, that's okay too...”

“I’ll come with you....” Anne said softly.

“Well then, you two go get dressed, I’ll wait for ya.”

He went over and slowly picked up the frog egg, holding it to his chest. He might as well bring it along too.. Couldn’t risk leaving it by itself.

Anne got up, still in her oversized nightshirt, her hair tangled and frizzy. Sprig hopped up to his room, changing out of his nightshirt and putting on his his usual pilot hat - he never went anywhere without the hat- and put it on along with his usual pants and vest. Anne went in after Sprig got out, throwing on the same hoodie she’d been wearing when she first got transported to Amphibia over her nightshirt, then slipped on her yellow sneakers and walked downstairs, giving Hop Pop a small smile as he opened the door for her and Sprig.

______________________________________________________________________________________

It was a relatively cool morning, the other frogs just getting up out of bed or opening their stands and businesses.

As Hop Pop and the two kids walked into town, the other frogs stared at them, their eyes directed at Anne in particular, who clung to Hop Pop as they got further into town.

“Don’t worry Anne, we’ll keep ya safe-” Hop Pop began softly.

“Hoppediah?” An old female voice called, Hop Pop jumping slightly as an old, hunched, wrinkled old frog whose skin was the color of a dead violet slowly made her way over to them, eyeing Sprig as he hopped in front of Anne protectively.

”Well good mornin’ Mrs Croaker! What can I do for ya?” Hop Pop asked, eyeing the old female frog, noticing that the old frog was carrying a small plate of beetle buns.

”Well, I made some of these to give to-“ Mrs. Croaker began, only to be interrupted by Sprig as he happily jumped over to her, his eyes fixated on the buns.

“Beetle buns! Thanks Mrs Croaker!”

Sprig reached a hand out to grab a bun, only to receive a brisk smack on the hand from Mrs. Croaker’s cane.

”OW!” He cried, jumping back and rubbing his hand, Mrs. Croaker giving him a look of stern disapproval.

”They aren’t for you, boy, they’re for this one.”

Mrs Croaker looked over at Anne, who was hiding behind Hop Pop. She slowly went over to her, held the plate out.

”Since I heard you like my beetle buns so much, I just thought I’d make you some. Consider them a “welcome to the neighborhood “ offering.”

Anne slowly reached out and took the plate, holding it close as she got closer to the old frog lady, who smiled at her.

”Well that’s very kind of ya Mrs Croaker!” Hop Pop said, smiling.

He felt a wave of relief and reassurance wash over him. Knowing that at least one other frog there didn’t see Anne as a threat was a huge reassurance.

”T-Thank you, Mrs Croaker...” Anne said, giving her a small smile.

A few other frogs came out, greeting Hop Pop good morning and slowly approaching Anne to wish her good morning as well.

”Hey Guys!!”

Ivy hopped over, smiling wide, Sprig and Anne both smiling wide as she approached.

”What you got?” She asked, pointing to the plate of buns in Anne’s hands.

”Beetle buns! Here, take one!” Anne said, handing Ivy a bun, then giving Sprig one as well, the pink frog practically inhaling the thing.

Anne laughed. “Sprig, did you even chew it?”

“Nope!”

“Hey, you guys wanna go do somethin’? My mom’s still asleep, so we got a bit before I gotta go back home and do my chores.” Ivy asked, taking a bite of her beetle bun.

Anne looked over at Hop Pop, who nodded.

“You kids go ahead, I’ll find ya once the shopping’s done.”

Anne smiled, handing him the plate, then hugging him tight.

”Thanks Hop Pop!”

The orange frog smiled as he watched her and her two frog friends run off, chattering about something Ivy had brought up.

Anne was smiling wider than she had in her whole life, happier than she’d ever been. Running with her two new friends, seeing Hop Pop watch over her protectively, seeing the other frogs slowly come to her and seem less and less afraid of her...It made her feel like she’d been accepted, finally accepted.

She felt wanted.

Finally, for the first time in her life…She was wanted.