Once upon a time, in a pond just over the hill, there was a little frog by the name of Lucy. Lucy was scared of many things. 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 scare her.
One day, Lucy was sleeping on a lily pad when all of a sudden, it began to start drizzling. The drizzle soon became a light shower, and the light shower soon became a pour!
When Lucy woke up, she realized much to her horror 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.
Croak! Croak! Croak!
But no matter how long or how loud she cried, she was still lost and no one came to get her. When she finally ran out of tears, Lucy decided that she would have to find her own way home. Sure she was afraid of traveling all by herself, but even more than that, she was afraid of never seeing her family again.
So with a hesitant hop, she began to make her way down the river, hoping that it would eventually lead to her home pond which she knew was downstream.
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.
Boing! Boing! Boing!
However, out of the blue she heard a loud boom. It scared her so much that she almost leaped out of her own skin! Then she heard another loud boom. And then another one.
Boom. Boom! BOOM!
She quickly hid herself behind a small rock, and carefully peaked out to see where the sound was coming from.
All of a sudden the sky became dark and Lucy froze in terror. Slowly she looked up and she came face to face with one of her greatest fears. A giant!
She tried to slowly move away before the giant could notice her, but alas it was to no avail. Before she could even scream out in horror, a large and monstrous hand reached out and wrapped itself around her body. And before she knew it, she found herself staring directly into the monster’s face.
Under the malevolent gaze of the giant, Lucy felt like her heart could give out any second. Even though her mind screamed at her to move, she felt completely petrified. All she could do was close her eyes and accept her unfortunate fate.
But then she suddenly remembered the home and the family that was surely waiting for her. In the same way that she was scared to be away from home, they too must be worried about her. So for the sake of her family and for herself, she needed to be brave.
And so 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 wiggle her way out to freedom.
Hop! Hop! Hop!
Lucy bounded away from the giant as fast as she could. And when the coast was clear and she was sure that she wasn’t being followed, she gave a heavy sigh in relief.
Thankfully for the rest of her journey, she travelled in peace, leisurely taking in the sights around her. But when the sun began to set, Lucy began to feel exhausted.
Hop. Hop. Hop
Lucy soon felt so tired that she could barely take another leap forward. She wondered if she would ever make it home.
Feeling her stomach rumble in hunger, she wondered if she would ever get to eat her mother’s cooking again. Lucy was so hungry, she could practically smell her mother’s home cooked tomato soup – her favorite.
With a sudden jolt of surprise, Lucy realized she wasn’t just imaging the smell, but that she could actually smell it! Rushing forward to follow the scent, she burst into a clearing and almost cried at what she saw. It was home!
Lucy gave a loud and happy croak, and alerted by the sound, her family peaked outside their house to see what was going on. When they saw that it was Lucy, they all rushed forward to hug her tightly, relieved and happy to have her back home safe and sound.
Her family then ushered her inside the house, where she joined them all at the dinner table for a warm and happy meal. And when dinner was all finished and the desserts were all polished off, she began to tell them all about her adventure.
And that night, when her parents tucked her into bed, Lucy wasn’t afraid of the dark anymore. After all, if she could face giants, she could face anything.