Once upon a time, in a pond just over the hill, there was a little girl named Lucy. Lucy was a frog that was both small and shy, and she was very scared of almost everything. She was scared of sharp things, tall things, and mean things. She was scared of the dark, of jumping long distances, and sometimes even her own reflection would spook her.
One day, Lucy was sleeping on a lily pad when all of a sudden, it started drizzling. The drizzle became a light shower, a light shower became a pour, and before you knew it, it became a flood!
When Lucy woke up, she realized that the waters had carried her far far away from home! She called out for her family, but it was all in vain – she was alone! And because she was alone she was scared, and because she was scared she was sad. And so Lucy began to cry and cry.
Croak! Croak! Croak!
But no matter how long or how loud she cried, no one came to get her.
When her tears had finally run dry, Lucy decided that she would have to find her way home on her own. She was afraid to travel all on her lonesome, but even more than that, she was afraid of being alone.
So with a hesitant hop, she began to hop along the river, hoping that it would eventually lead to her home pond. With every hop she took, she felt a little less scared and a little bit more brave. Eventually her hesitant little hops turned into great leaps and bounds, and she felt like she could almost touch the sun.
However, all of a sudden she heard a loud boom. Then another one. And then another one. She stilled and hid herself behind a small rock, peeking out to see where the sound was coming from.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The sky suddenly became dark and Lucy looked up. Upon seeing the monstrous face of a giant, her whole body froze in terror. She prayed that she was too small for the giant to notice her, but much to her horror, a massive hand began to move towards her. Before she could make her escape, the hand wrapped itself around her body and Lucy soon found herself staring directly into the monster’s face.
The sky suddenly became dark and Lucy looked up. Upon seeing the monstrous face of a giant, her whole body froze in terror. She prayed that she was too small for the giant to notice her, but much to her horror, a massive hand began to move towards her. Before she could make her escape, the hand wrapped itself around her body and Lucy soon found herself staring directly into the monster’s face.
Lucy was scared. She was terrified. She was petrified! All she could do was close her eyes and await her inevitable and untimely demise. But then she thought of the home and the family that was waiting for her. In the same way that she was scared to be away from home, they too must be worried and scared that she was missing. So for the sake of her family and for herself, she needed to be brave.
And with a mighty whap, Lucy slung her tongue against the giant’s face in a brutal slap. Letting out a loud sound of disgust, Lucy felt the hand loosen around her and she took the opportunity to leap out of their hand.
Hop! Hop! Hop!
Lucy bounded away as fast as she could. She continued along her path in relative peace for the rest of the day, and when the sun began to set she began to feel very tired.
Hop. Hop. Hop
Almost too tired to take another leap, Lucy felt her stomach begin to rumble. She was so hungry that she could almost smell her mother’s cooking. She sniffed the air. It smelled like tomato soup, her favorite. She could practically taste it from the scent alone.
Held jolting up in surprise, Lucy realized that she could actually smell her mother’s tomato soup and that it wasn’t all her imagination. Getting another rush of energy, she began following the scent as fast as she could.
When she finally bursted into a clearing, she burst into tears at the sight of her family home. Alerted by the sudden noise, her family peaked out of their house to check out the noise. Seeing that it was Lucy, they all rushed out to hug her, relieved to have her back safe and sound.
Her family then ushers her inside the house, where she joins them all at the dinner table for a warm and happy meal. And when dinner was all finished and the desserts all polished off, she began to regale them of the tale of her journey.
They were very proud of her for being so brave. And most importantly, she was proud of herself too.