Raised By Frogs

“MOTHERFROGGING SON OF A CICAEDA!”

Hop Pop threw the brown - spotted, worm eaten cabbage he had just pulled from the ground over his shoulder, the rotten vegetable splattering across the dirt. Anne and Sprig winced and stepped back a little, Sprig almost dropping the only two good carrots they’d harvested.

For some reason, during that particular season, the Plantar’s crops had all fallen victim to blights , worm infestations and diseases of all sorts.The carrots,pumpkins, potatoes, cabbages,corn, turnips.....they all suffered. They could barely scavenge enough decent crops to sell, leaving Hop Pop constantly stressed over food, necessities and whether or not he and his three grandkids would even be able to survive the year.

Hell, if things got worse, he may even have to consider selling good ol Bessie! After all...she was another mouth that he’d have to find a way to feed.

Anne watched her frog grandfather curse and shake, rubbing his temples as a new wave of stress washed over him.The nine year old wished she could help him, wished that she could bring the crops back in some way and make sure her family didn’t have to worry about money anymore.

But she didn’t know how.

Neither did Sprig, who looked sadly at the very small pile of produce they’d managed to harvest.

A small pumpkin, five turnips, the two carrots in Sprig’s arms, six onions.......so far they really didn’t have much. Not enough to sell to buy themselves food.

Hop Pop trembled with anxiety, walking back to the house. He couldn’t even look at his grandkids. Every time he did.....he felt as if he was failing them. Failing to provide for them, protect them.....failing to ensure that their lives would be happy and that they could live out their childhoods without worry or struggle.

Anne slowly walked after him, watching as he sat down on the couch next to Polly, who was asleep in her bucket, snoring softly as her grandfather looked down at her, his eyes tired and sad.

”......I’m sorry I can’t do more for you kids….” he said quietly,his voice hoarse.

”.....You do a lot for us,Hop Pop.”

Hop Pop turned to see the little human standing in the doorway, looking concernedly at him.

”You do a lot! You play with us, and read books to us, cook us dinner, and all kinds of stuff!“

She went over and sat next to Hop Pop, hugging him, doing all she could think of to comfort him as he looked down at her, unsure of what to say in response.

Anne felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Hop Pop smiling down at her,his eyes now full of both sadness and affection.

“Anne, honey, I appreciate you sayin all that….Don’t you worry about your ol Hop Pop, I’m just… just a bit worried….about the crops and money, but it’ll all work out, we’ll get through this, we always do…we...we…”

His smile faded, and he turned away.

”......Why don’t you and Sprig go play with Ivy? I need to go count up how much money we’ve got left…..see what I can get us to eat….”

He went upstairs, Anne watching as he went into his study and closed the door. She let out a sad sigh, going outside, feeling ice cold despite the fact that it was a hot summer day, the bright white sun shining above her.

Sprig was pulling at the potatoes, a small pile of blackened, rotted potatoes by his feet as he pulled at yet another one.

”Dang!” He exclaimed , upon seeing that the potato, like the others, was blighted and black.

Anne sat down, hugging her knees to her face, feeling helpless. Sprig turned and saw her, dropping the blackened potato and slowly going over and sitting next to her.

”.....Hey,I’m sure it’ll be okay Anne! We still got some stuff to sell!” He said optimistically, pointing at the small pile of vegetables.

”........I just wish we could help him…” Anne said quietly.

Sprig patted her back, looking over at the house. Like Anne, he desperately wanted to help his grandfather, but he too felt helpless and unsure of what to do.

”.......Let’s get the vegetables inside, then we can visit Ivy! She always knows what to say….” Sprig said, grabbing some of the few good vegetables and walking back to the house.

Anne slowly got up, grabbing a few vegetables and taking them into the house, laying them on the kitchen table. After they’d gotten their precious few vegetables into the kitchen, they both walked out, Anne slowly closing the door behind them as they walked into town, going to the tea shoppe Ivy’s mom owned and ran.

They walked into the tea shoppe, the customers all eyeing the two children with surprise, suspicion and some disdain-probably because they were mud covered, messy, disheveled looking farm kids who were currently tracking fresh mud through the tea house as they made their way into the kitchens.

Ivy was washing some dishes, her mother just behind her, plating up an order of fresh baked scones with clotted cricket cream and fresh strawberry jam on the side.

”Hi Ivy!” Sprig said, both Ivy and her mother turning to look at them.

”Hi Sprig,Hi Anne!” Ivy said, smiling as she finished up drying the plate she’d been holding and handed it to Felicia, who wrinkled her nose as the two grubby farm children that stood in front of her.

Ivy walked over to them, looking concerned when she noticed the worry and sadness in Sprig’s eyes and how upset Anne looked.

”What’s up?”

“Oh, not much….we were wondering if you wanted to go do something? Sparring match, sneak attack practice, mess around with the new slingshot I made?”

Ivy nodded, looking over at Anne. She didn’t look like she wanted to play much.

“Slingshot sounds fun-I have a couple rotten cricket eyes in the back we can use as ammunition.”

“Perfect! C’mon, we can go sit on the roof of Stumpy’s and see what unsuspecting schmucks come our way!”

Ivy nodded, running to the back of the kitchens and pulling out a satchel that was dripping a thin, foul smelling brownish fluid.

“ These things have been rotting in the back since last Wednesday!” She said gleefully, pulling one of the slimy, barely solid, black, jelly-like orb that had once been a cricket’s eye out of the bag.

Sprig smiled with mischievous joy.

“Perfect!!! Aw, Anne, smell these things!”

He grabbed one and cringed at how gooey and slimy it felt, gagging a bit.

Anne couldn’t even muster a smile at Sprig’s comical, grossed out reactions. All she could think of was the sad, anxious look Hop Pop had held in his eyes all season. She didn’t want him to feel that way anymore.She didn’t want him to worry anymore. She didn’t-

“ Anne?”

Anne looked up, Sprig and Ivy both looking concernedly at the young human.

“ O-Oh, Sorry! “ Anne said, attempting to give them a weak smile of reassurance.

The two young frogs didn’t seem convinced.Sprig sighed, then tried to put a smile back on his face- not wanting to let their troubles at home affect their day.

”Well, c’mon! To Stumpy’s!!” He said cheerfully as he ran out,the two girls following him.

After a bit, Ivy turned to Anne,making sure Sprig was out of earshot before talking.

”....What’s the matter? You both looked a lil down today…”

Anne sighed, looking down. For as much as she didn’t want to bother Ivy with her and Sprig’s problems or make Ivy worry about them, she did think that she’d feel a bit better about the situation by telling someone and getting it off her chest.

“...The crops are doing bad, really bad...Like, they all come up rotten or wormy or all wrinkled and small...Hop Pop’s been really worried and stressed about it…”

Ivy nodded, listening closely.

“ Is that why you guys haven’t been coming around as much? Cuz the farm isn’t doing too good?”

“ Yeah...I feel bad for Hop Pop.He really loves the farm, and now he’s upset cuz he thinks he isn’t doing enough for us even though he really is…”

A few tears beaded near her eyes, and she hurriedly wiped them away with her arm.

“ Hey,,, it’ll be okay...Your grandpa’s one of the toughest frogs here, I’m sure he’ll find a way to fix the problem with the crops!” Ivy said, trying to uplift her friend’s spirits.

“ I hope so…”

“ HEY GUYS! C’mon!”

Sprig was already at Stumpy’s, trying to find the best possible way to get onto the roof.The two girls ran over, watching as he climbed onto the table outside the diner, then crouched down and jumped onto the wooden bar that held up the sign that hung above the diner’s entrance, carefully standing up, his arms held out for balance. He then stepped up onto the thatched roof, climbing up the large, rotten wooden sign that read “ Stumpy’s Diner” and made his way up to the tallest area of the roof, letting out a huff of relief upon making it to his destination without tripping and falling off the roof.

Ivy copied his actions, jumping onto the table, then the sign pole, then making her way over the sign and up to Sprig, sitting next to him on the roof.

“C’mon Anne!”

Anne slowly got up on the table, but when she jumped, she didn't make it to the bar.Instead, her face collided with the flat wooden sign, and she fell to the ground, groaning.

“ANNE! Are you okay??” Sprig Yelled, watching as she got up.

“....I’m okay..” Anne said, smelling copper as blood ran from her nose.Sprig jumped down, rushing to her.”I’m sorry, I should’ve helped you get up…”

“ It’s fine...I’m...I’m gonna go back to the house...You guys can go sling cricket eyes without me..”

“But Anne..”

“Go ahead, Sprig...it’s okay…”

Anne started walking away, Sprig and Ivy both watching her worriedly.Sprig sighed, jumping back up to the roof.

Maybe Anne just needed to be alone today.

Anne walked through town, her eyes down, hands shoved deep into the pockets of her overalls, her mind clouded with anxiety, fear, and sadness.

Was there any way to help her family? Any way she could somehow heal the crops, banish their worries and misfortune, make Hop Pop happy and lively and take away his stress…

Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud scream, then a thud as a strong, stout frog suddenly crashed into the ground just a few feet away, startling the girl so bad she felt as if her bones would jump right out of her skin.

A series of loud cheers and cries suddenly became audible to her ears, and as she turned to her right, she saw a crowd of frogs gathered around a clearing near the edge of town, a huge, muscular, dark green frog standing in the centre, smiling a proud, victorious smile as the crowds cheered around him.

“ WHO ELSE DARES TO CHALLENGE THE ALMIGHTY BONEBREAKER?” He yelled, the crowd cheering louder.

Anne found herself intrigued by this sudden raucous interruption, walking towards the crowd, trying to see what they’d crowded around and where the large frog was standing. It was a fighting ring of sorts- a circular fence of wood and thick hemp rope surrounding it.

“ Who is that?” She asked a random frog spectator that stood beside her, gazing at the strong frog with eyes full of awe.

“ The Bonebreaker...The strongest frog in all of Wartwood- maybe all of Amphibia! He’s a blacksmith by trade, probably how he got so strong-lifting anvils and stuff- but he also challenges anyone who’s willing to fight-and he’s gone undefeated for years now!!” The frog said, the admiration in his voice unmistakeable.

The Bonebreaker leaned on one of the fence posts, chugging some kind of yellowish sludge from a mug and then proceeding to crush the mug between his hands, reducing it to a crushed shape made of metal.He tossed it behind him, then cleared his throat, the crowd quieting down as he began to speak.

“ Alright you frogs! I’m growing rather bored of fighting without any reward or challenge...so, why not put some money on the line? A cash reward!”

He pulled a large stack of cash out of the back pocket of his pants, holding it up for all to see.

“ A hundred dollars of my own hard earned money, all to whoever can beat me for the first time!”

Anne’s eyes widened as a collective gasp went through the crowd.

A thousand dollars.

A thousand.Frogging.Dollars.

That’d definitely be enough to support the farm till the crops got better...wouldn’t it?

Anne wasn’t even thinking as she walked into the ring, staring into The Bonebreaker’s eyes with a dead serious stare.

“...Challenge Accepted.”

Everyone went dead silent...then burst into laughter.

The Bonebreaker was holding his sides, eyes beading with tears as ground-shaking laughter erupted from his mouth.

“ HAHAHA!!! DEAR FROG! AW, DEAR FROG! This is too good! A little waif like you, takin on me? How cute…”

Anne was unphased.

She looked the frog in the eye, her eyes like blue flames.

The Bonebreaker’s laughter soon died down, an amused smile still plastered on his face.

“ Well, since you're willing to humor me, and since you gave me a good laugh...I accept your challenge!”

The crowd went silent.

The Bonebreaker laughed, smiling at them.

“Don’t worry! I’ll go easy on her!” He reassured them, squaring up and getting into his stance.

Anne copied him, staring him in the eyes, trying to channel all the strength she had in her body. Willing herself to stand tall and let go of any fear she had of hurting another frog.All she thought about was the money she’d hopefully get, and Hop Pop’s sad, anxious eyes.

She was going to win this.

She HAD to.

For Hop Pop.

For the frog that took her in and gave her a family.

For the frog who had loved her as his own.

Her eyes flashed blue, as if lightning had struck behind the lenses.

She charged at the frog, who prepared to give the girl a light push to the chest, or just simply block her attacks by putting his hand to her face and watching her squirm and flail around.

She was, after all, just a tiny, skinny child. It wasn’t like she could do him even an ounce of harm-right?

The Bonebreaker soon found himself sorely mistaken as the girl ran right at him, then jumped and socked him right in the eye, with the strength of at least ten frogs.

The surprised frog fell to the ground, one eye closed, the other wide open in shock.

“ WHAT THE FROG HELL??” He yelled, the crowd gasping and yelling as the surprisingly strong human stepped back, then charged at the Bonebreaker once again, this time roundhouse kicking him in the face just as we was beginning to get his guard back up. The frog’s head was forced back, his good eye watching as the world turned upside down. Then he felt a hard punch to his upper stomach, gasping. Anne pulled back, the once unbeatable Bonebreaker holding his hands out.

“STOP!STOP YOU WIN!YOU WIN!!”

He pulled the wad of cash out of his back pocket, shoving it at Anne as he shook with shock and fear.

Anne breathed for a few minutes, slowly regaining her senses, then, as she realized that she’d won the bet, her eyes widened, going from a bright, gas-flame blue to a softer, vibrant azure.

“I WON!!I WON!!!I WON!!” She squealed, jumping up and down,

She won!

She got the money!

The farm was saved!

She snatched the cash from his hand, leaped out of the ring and ran right through the crowd of gobsmacked spectators, sprinting through the streets.

Sprig and Ivy had spent the past half hour or so slinging gooey, decaying cricket eyes at poor, unsuspecting frogs, laughing as they watched their unfortunate targets yell and squirm as the eyeballs hit their marks, spraying their targets in a thick, dark, discolored and absolutely putrid smelling syrup.

Just as he was beginning to load one last cricket eye into his slingshot, Sprig saw his human sibling dashing through the streets, a smile on her face, and a thick stack of green paper in her hand.

“ ANNE!”

He quickly hopped down from the roof, Ivy following, dropping the bag of the remaining cricket eyes and running behind him as he tried to catch up to Anne.

“ANNE!...ANNE! ...What ...happened?!?” Sprig asked, trying to breathe and talk at the same time.

Anne didn’t respond, giggling happily as she rushed to their house, barging in.

“HOP POP!!HOP POP!!I DID IT!!HOP POP!!” the girl yelled, jumping up and down happily as Sprig and Ivy finally caught up to her, panting.

“Anne what happened? How’d you get all the money???” Sprig asked again.

Anne gave no answer, she only scanned the area for Hop Pop, then bolted upstairs to see if he was still in his study.She ran into his study, the door slamming against the wall as the child threw it open, bounding in happily.

The old frog, who had been asleep with Polly on his chest, was suddenly jolted awake by Anne wrapping her arms around him tightly, with enough strength to break his ribs, Polly yelping as her own nap was interrupted as well.

“Anne? Now what in Toadnation-”

“HOP POP I DID IT!!”

“ What? What do you mean-”

The girl shoved the cash in his face, jumping up and down as the old frog’s eyes widened.

“ HOLY SHIT GIRL! HOW THE HELL DID YA GET ALL THIS?”

“ I won a wrestling match! I think that's what it was-”

“ Wait WHAT??”

“ There was this guy called The Bonebreaker, and he said that whoever beat him got a thousand dollars, and I beat him and got a thousand dollars!”

“ Wait THE BONEBREAKER?? Wait...Anne Plantar you tell me the truth! I ain't puttin’ up with any tall tales.”

“It is not a tall tale! I actually beat him!”

“ Anne how-”

There was a loud knock on the door, everyone in the room jumping.

Hop Pop glanced at Anne, then walked downstairs, opening the door to see the Bonebreaker himself, standing in front of the doorway, looking just a bit scared as he saw Anne standing on one of the stairs in the distance.

“ Um...You...You are...Hoppediah Plantar?” He asked, voice a bit low.

Hop Pop stared at him in utter disbelief.

“Uh...Yes….Uh…”

“ I...um...came to say...that...that little creature ...I’m...impressed by how strong they are..I mean, they're small and skinny and yet they beat me damn near took me out… They certainly earned the prize money...I guess...I just wanted to...say...I’m, just blown away...that’s some creature you're raising, Plantar.”

He gave the old frog an awkward pat on the shoulder, then left.

Anne walked up behind Hop Pop, smiling wide.

“NOW do you believe me?” She asked, the old frog staring down at her in disbelief.

“...By Frog...You..You..”

He then pulled her into a tight, near-crushing hug, laughing with disbelief and amazement.

“ BY FROG GIRL! HOW THE...THE..” The old timer was at a loss for words.

“ Will the money be enough to help with the farm?” Sprig asked, holding the wad of cash, flipping through it, Ivy watching with wide eyes.

“ You bet it is! Plus I’ve been consulting some old books that my Great-Grandpop left behind about farmin’ techniques and such, and I think if I try a few f the things he has mentioned then our crops might get over whatever blight or disease they're goin’ through.”

Sprig and Ivy began jumping around, cheering happily, Sprig still clutching the money.

“THE FARM IS SAVED! THE FARM IS SAVED! THE FARM-”

“ SPRIG FROG DAMNIT PUT THE MONEY DOWN BEFORE YA SCATTER IT EVERYWHERE AND LOSE IT ALL!”

Hop Pop began chasing after him, trying to get the young frog to settle down and drop the cash.

Anne watched, laughing, feeling an overwhelming sense of relief.

She’d managed to help save her family from a potentially devastating time. She herself was still wondering just how she’d managed to summon up so much strength to beat the Bonebreaker, but right now that wasn’t important.

Her family was going to be okay.

That was all that mattered to her.

And you bet your ass she was going to make sure that they were always gonna be okay, no matter what came their way.