By Bill Conley
Moral
of the Story
Every small beginning can grow into
great courage.
Even the littlest voice can lead when others stay silent.
Bravery isn’t about size but about heart.
Working together makes the impossible possible.
Helping others is the truest leap of all.
True heroes bring peace to their community through love and action.
Deep in the heart of Willow Pond,
where lily pads float like green boats and dragonflies dance on the breeze, a
cluster of jelly-like eggs shimmered in the shallow water. Inside each clear
bubble was a tiny promise—a little life waiting for the right moment to
wiggle free.
One of these tiny lives was Freddy.
Freddy was only a speck at first, so
small you could barely see him through the pond’s ripples. But inside his tiny
egg, Freddy was strong and eager. He felt the warmth of the sun above the water
and the gentle push of the pond’s currents.
When the time came, Freddy burst
from his egg as a wriggly black tadpole. He had no legs yet, only a long tail
that helped him zip through the water like a tiny fish. Freddy loved to swim in
circles around the reeds and hide in the shadows under the lily pads.
As days passed, Freddy grew and
changed. Little bumps formed near his tail—his back legs! He kicked and
kicked, learning to leap under the water. Soon, tiny front legs sprouted near
his round belly. Freddy’s tail got shorter as his legs got stronger, and before
long, Freddy wasn’t a tadpole anymore—he was a little frog, ready for
adventure.
Freddy hopped out of the pond for
the first time one bright morning. The world above the water was bigger and
brighter than he had ever dreamed. He felt the sun on his smooth green skin and
the cool squish of mud under his toes. He could hear the croak of other frogs
calling from the cattails, the hum of bees, and the cheerful splash of fish
below.
Freddy loved his pond—the safe,
shady places, the buzzing insects, and the soft mud banks where frogs gathered to
sing at night. He quickly made friends with the other young frogs—Sally with
her speckled belly, Ricky who could leap the farthest, and wise old Grandpa
Hopper, whose deep voice rumbled like thunder.
Freddy was smaller than most, but no
frog was braver. He practiced his croak until it was loud enough to echo across
the whole pond. He hopped higher, swam deeper, and always encouraged the other
young frogs to do the same. “One more leap!” he’d say. “One more try!” Freddy
believed that every frog could be strong if they didn’t give up.
One warm evening, as the frogs
gathered on the lily pads to sing to the moon, a dark shadow moved through the
water. Freddy peered through the reeds and saw a group of big, hungry snakes
slithering toward the pond. They had come from the dry fields, looking for
water and food. If they found the frog families huddled together, they’d have
no chance to escape.
The frogs froze with fear. They were
gentle singers, not fighters. Some hid under lily pads. Others trembled in the
mud. Freddy felt his heart pound, but he remembered all the times he had told
his friends, “One more leap. One more try.”
Freddy knew they couldn’t outfight
the snakes—but maybe they could outsmart them.
He gathered Sally, Ricky, and a few
brave young frogs. “Follow me,” Freddy whispered. “We’ll lead them away from
the pond.”
With a final deep croak, Freddy
hopped high into the moonlight and splashed on the far side of the pond. He
leaped and slapped the water with his strong back legs. The snakes turned
toward the splashes, slithering hungrily after Freddy and his brave team.
Freddy and the others hopped in and
out of the water, leading the snakes away from the nests and lily pads, through
the reeds, and toward the old swampy woods beyond Willow Pond. There, the
snakes would find enough food to keep them busy, and the frogs would be safe.
When the snakes were far enough
away, Freddy signaled with a quiet croak, and the little team slipped back to
the pond under the cover of night.
At dawn, when the sun peeked over
the cattails, the frogs gathered on the biggest lily pad. Grandpa Hopper puffed
out his wide belly and boomed, “Last night, Freddy saved us all.”
The frogs croaked in chorus, filling
Willow Pond with songs of thanks. Freddy blushed under his smooth green skin,
but his eyes shone with pride and peace.
He knew in that moment that being
small didn’t matter if your heart was big, and one brave frog could keep an
entire pond safe.
Moral
of the Story Poem
Tiny tadpole in the sun,
Swims and dreams of leaps to come.
Legs grow strong, his croak rings clear,
Fearless heart that knows no fear.
One brave leap to guard the pond,
Leads his friends to grow stronger.
Heroes rise from humble start —
Freddy shows a hero’s heart.
May every child remember: from tiny
tadpole to fearless frog, courage and kindness can turn any leap into a hero’s
song—just like Freddy the Fearless Frog!
No comments:
Post a Comment