by E. D. Baker
"Yuck!" said the dog. "What is this stuff?" It shook its head and great flecks of foam splattered the dry soil. With a pained yelp, the dog ran back the way it had come.
"You poor thing! Are you all right?" I asked the toad.
"Fine as frog's hair. Thanks for asking."
"What did you do?" I asked. "I thought it had you!"
"Not me! Mother Nature gave us toads a little secret weapon." The toad lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "You frogs think you're so superior with your smooth skin and your pretty faces, but you don't have anything like this. You see back here behind my head? This gooey stuff isn't dog spit, no sirree! I make my own poison and I've been told it tastes downright nasty. Heh, heh, heh! That dog didn't stand a chance."
"That poison ... He isn't seriously hurt, is he?"
"Nah, nothing time won't cure. Might have learned a lesson, though, if he's lucky."
"I never would have guessed that you could do that."
"That's what makes it a secret weapon!" the toad said. He beamed at me before turning to Eadric. Eadric scowled back.
"We'd better be going," I said. "Thanks for your help!"
"My pleasure, little lady. Good luck with your hopping! Keep on practicing and you'll do just fine."
Eadric and I continued on, neither of us saying another word until we were concealed by a tall, rippling sea of grass. Once we were in its shade, I breathed a sigh of relief. "Now what was that all about?" I asked Eadric. "I think this was the first time I've seen you looking angry."
"He didn't have to do that!" grumbled Eadric.
"What do you mean?" I asked. "Who didn't have to do what?"
"That old toad. He didn't have to show off like that! Who does he think he is, your knight in warty armor? If anybody is going to rescue you, it will be me! We didn't need him! If he hadn't interfered, I would have done something about that dog."
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Something would have occurred to me, I'm sure. But I didn't need some old toad to protect you like that. Interfering old busybody!"
"Eadric, he was just trying to be helpful."
"We didn't need his help! Look at me! I'm big! I'm strong! I'm a superior example of froghood and capable of protecting us both!"
I gave up. From the furious scowl on Eadric's face, I was better off not saying anything.
Intent on maneuvering through the dense grass, I ignored my companion. Because there were few clear areas that allowed straightforward hopping, I had to develop my own crawl-hop-wiggle style that got me through the grass but left my muscles aching.
The stars were twinkling overhead when Eadric and I finally reached the edge of the grassy field and took shelter under a flowering thornbush.
The next morning, we entered a trembling copse of young saplings and heard the distant murmur of rushing water. With the sound as our guide, we detoured around boulders and old stumps, breathing a sigh of relief when the tangled underbrush bordering the stream came into sight. We had been out of the water for so long that my throat was parched and my skin was beginning to feel like old leather. Working my way through the maze of stems and branches, I leaped into the clear, sun-sparkled water only seconds ahead of Eadric.
The swim was easy and relaxing, because we were heading downstream. I swam beside Eadric, kicking now and then but mostly letting the current do the work. Around midday, fat black clouds gathered overhead. Rain peppered the water, landing on my head in oversized, heavy drops. A little more water won't hurt us, I thought, but at the first crack of thunder, I began to feel uneasy.
"How much farther is it?" I asked Eadric, who had been single-mindedly looking for landmarks.
"We're closer than I thought. Do you see that old oak over there?" Eadric pointed to a tree on the far side of the stream. "I tied my horse to the lowest branch the night I was turned into a frog. I wonder what became of him. His name was Bright Country and he was the best horse I'd ever had. I'd hate to think that something bad happened to the old fellow."
"I'm sure someone found him or he got himself loose. I don't see any old horse bones lying there. But why did you come here? You've never told me the story."
"It was no epic tale, believe me. I thought I was in love with a princess and hoped to win her favor by giving her some meadwort. I'd heard that if you picked it at midnight on the night of the full moon, then boiled the leaves, you could see your true love's face in the bottom of your cup. I was convinced that I was her true love and that it was my face she'd see."
"I've never heard so much garbage! Meadwort doesn't do anything like that. Who told you that it did?"
"My little brother," Eadric admitted.
"And you believed him? I don't know much about little brothers, but from what I've heard they are not the most reliable sources of information. It sounds like he pulled one over on you."
"I guess so."
Eadric's face looked so forlorn that I took pity on him. "I'm sure he wouldn't have done it if he'd known how it would end."
"Probably not," admitted Eadric. "He isn't a bad sort."
"I didn't know you were a romantic at heart."
"Romantic! Is that what you call it? I thought I was just having a run of bad luck. The really sad part is that a few months after I became a frog, I saw the princess. Her coach almost ran over me when I was crossing the road. It was decorated for a wedding, so it must have been her wedding day. My rival won by default, I guess. She'd been seeing a lot of him while I'd still been a human. That's why I'd even considered my brother's advice. I was getting desperate."
"You didn't finish your story. What happened when you came looking for the meadwort?"
"I never found it, but I did come across the old witch. She was out looking for plants that night, too. I stumbled across her in the dark, which was pretty unpleasant, believe me. She was wearing a filthy gown and smelled terrible. That's when I made a comment about her clothes and hygiene. She took offense and wham! The prince became a frog!"
"So how much farther is it?"
"It's right there," said Eadric. "We can wait under that blackberry bush. That's where I spent my first night as a frog. If there are any rotten berries on the ground, we should find plenty of insects."
Eadric and I climbed out of the water and made ourselves comfortable under the blackberry bush. To our disappointment, we found neither berries nor insects, although the leaves kept the cold rain off us. It had been a long, tiring trip and we hadn't slept well in days. With the soothing patter of rain on the leaves, it wasn't long before we were both asleep.
Eight
When we woke, the rain had stopped and the air felt clean and cool. The full moon peered through a gap in the clouds, casting an otherworldly light on the landscape. We spoke in soft whispers, not wishing to disturb the silence that comes after a heavy rain.
"Is it almost midnight?" I asked.
"I don't know," said Eadric, "but it must be getting close."
"Thank you."
"What for?"
"For bringing me here when you really didn't want to. I know how you feel about seeing the old witch again, but you said you'd help me and you have. Thank you."
'You're welcome. You know, of course, that my motives are not completely unselfish. I want to be turned back into a human, too. Even so, I know of a way you could thank me."
"And what's that?" I asked, certain I already knew the answer.
"You could kiss me." He puckered his lips and stretched his neck to bring his head close to mine.
"At a time like this? The witch could be here any moment!"
"But I don't want to kiss her!" said Eadric.
"I didn't—"
"Listen," said Eadric. "I think I hear something."
It came again. Someone was approaching and making no effort to be quiet.
"Look! That must be her," whispered Eadric. A light bobbed across the uneven ground. The sound of footsteps slogging through the muck could be clearly heard in the still night
air.
As the witch approached, the full moon outlined her silhouette, yet did little to illuminate her face. The light of the lantern she carried had been focused toward the ground by the use of movable shutters, leaving her face in relative darkness. Indistinctly seen in the moonlight, the woman resembled a ghostly apparition. Her wild, uncombed hair hung loosely about her shoulders. She wore long, dark garments that dragged on the ground, snagging twigs and muck as she walked.
Trying to get up the courage to approach her, Eadric and I cowered under the berry bush. The witch drew near, intent on her midnight search.
"Hurry," I told him. "She'll be gone and we'll have lost our chance."
"I'm not sure I should," said Eadric. "I have a bad feeling about this. Our last meeting didn't end very well."
"Please go. It's why we're here," I said. "I'll go with you. Just be nice and discreet this time. Remember, no sarcastic comments!"
"Fine, if you'll stop making up rules—it'll be hard enough as it is." Together we hopped into the witch's path. When the light of the lantern reached us, we covered our eyes against the glare.
"Ma'am," called Eadric. "We need to talk to you. It's urgent!"
The witch stopped short and set the lantern on the ground.
'You might remember me. I'm Prince Eadric," he said warily, trying to see the witch past the brilliance of the light. "We met here one night and had a short conversation. I said something about your sense of style and you turned me into a frog."
"Go on," said the witch.
'You said I'd stay a frog until a princess kissed me, but I did and nothing happened. You have to do something!"
"What do you mean nothing happened?" I exclaimed. "I turned into a frog, too! I think that's a pretty big something!"
"This is Princess Emeralda. She's the one who kissed me."
"This wasn't supposed to happen!" I said. "You must have done something wrong when you cast the spell."
"Shh! Emma!" whispered Eadric. "Don't make her mad! And you told me to be discreet!"
"But I—"
Eadric cleared his throat and turned back to the witch. "We didn't come to accuse anyone of anything. We just need your help fixing it."
"Really? And how would I do that?" the witch asked in a friendly voice.
Encouraged, I couldn't keep the words from tumbling out. "Just turn us back into humans and I'll see that you're handsomely rewarded. My parents will do anything to get me back."
"Is that so? And I'm the lucky witch you chose to talk to! My, oh, my," she said, her voice losing its sweet tone. "You picked the wrong one tonight, froggies! Or should I call you Your Royal Highnesses?" In one swift motion, the woman dropped the sack she'd been carrying and swooped down on us, snatching us off the ground and raising us to eye level. She studied us intently, turning us over and examining us from top to bottom. "Such nice, strong specimens! You two will do just fine."
For the first time we could see the woman's face. She was young. Her long, frizzy hair had been dyed black and showed mouse-brown roots. Her eyes were dark and sunken, her cheeks gaunt, and her skin pale. Everything she wore was black, from her long, threadbare dress and ratty shawl to her worn leather shoes.
"Emma," Eadric whispered in a horrified voice, "it's not her! This isn't the witch who did it!"
"You are a smart froggy, aren't you, Prince? I've never turned anyone into a frog, but I've been looking for two frogs like you. Your bad luck is my good fortune! Two talking frogs in one night. My luck has finally changed." The witch hummed happily as she opened the sack and dropped us in.
I landed on my back. Wiggling and twisting, I tried to turn myself over. It was dark inside the sack, with an overwhelming musty smell. I scrabbled for a handhold on the coarse cloth, wishing I had my bracelet with me. Even the small amount of light it gave off would have been helpful. A moment later the woman lifted the sack and we tumbled to the bottom, where we lay in a tangled heap.
"Ow!" moaned Eadric, rubbing the side of his head. "Watch your elbow, will you?"
"Sorry," I said, "but I didn't hit you on purpose. Maybe if we sat up ..."
I kicked the sack, the weight of our bodies making the fabric taut, but my leg bounced off and caught Eadric squarely in the stomach.
"Oof," he said, doubling over.
"Sorry," I said again. "Are you all right?"
I'd knocked the breath out of him, so it took a moment for him to answer. When he did, he was wheezing and I felt awful. "I'll be just fine ... if you'll hold still!" he said.
I inched away, trying to put some space between us, but being inside a sack didn't make it easy.
The sack began to move, swaying like a pendulum with each of the witch's steps. As she walked, she muttered to herself in a voice too low for me to understand. Suddenly, she stopped and set the sack roughly on the ground. Eadric and I could hear her trudge away, although she didn't go far.
"Quick!" I said. "See if you can open the top of the bag. Maybe we can get out while she's gone."
Eadric shifted his weight beside me. I tensed, trying to keep out of his way while he reached toward the top of the sack. "It's no use," he said a moment later. "She's tied the top shut."
"Never mind. The way our luck has been running, she'll probably be back soon anyway. Can you believe that witch? She doesn't care who we are. It looks like we're more valuable to her as talking frogs than we are as royalty. What are we going to do, Eadric?"
"I really am sorry about this," began Eadric. "If I hadn't tried to get you to kiss me ..."
"I never would have met the best friend I've ever had. You're not the only one responsible for this. No one made me kiss you. And if it weren't for me, we wouldn't have come out here to talk with the witch. So stop feeling guilty and help me figure out a way to get through this."
"Maybe if we move to the opposite sides of the bag ..."
"We'll roll together again like we did last time. At least if we start out near each other we won't bump together as hard when she picks up the sack."
"I have an even better idea," said Eadric. "If I hold on to you, we won't roll into each other at all."
"Fine," I said. "We could try that."
"And while I'm there, you might as well give me a kiss."
"What?"
"Who knows what that witch has in mind? She might toss us in a cauldron of boiling water or feed us to a pet dragon. This may be our last chance to show how we feel about each other."
"Show how we ... Are you crazy? Kissing you is the last thing I want to do right now!"
"Hey, it sounded like a good idea to me."
"I told you," I said, getting exasperated, "I don't want to take any chances!"
I could feel the ground vibrate as the witch returned. She opened the sack suddenly and the moonlight poured in.
"Do you think we could make a run for it?" I whispered in Eadric's eardrum. "Because if she—"
A small, thorn-covered plant fell on us. The wet mud encasing the roots dripped in sour-smelling globs onto our heads. Sputtering, I covered my face with my hands.
"Ow!" wailed Eadric. "Those thorns are sharp!"
I spit out a mouthful of mud. "Try not to talk. That stuff tastes terrible!"
The witch jerked the sack off the ground and carried it a few yards. She opened the top again, but only long enough to drop in a handful of leaves. I cringed, having recognized the shape of the poison oak leaf at once, but it was too late and I knew it. I'm in for it now, I thought. Even the briefest contact with poison oak gave me a rash, and now my back was covered with the leaves.
When the witch picked up the sack, Eadric and I tensed our muscles, waiting for the next impact with the ground. But the sack continued to sway in the witch's hands as she slogged across the marshy ground. After a while, Eadric began to groan.
"What's wrong?" I asked. "Is it the thorns?"
"No," whispered Eadric.
"Is it the mud?"
"No," whispered Eadric.
"Then w
hat is it?"
"It's this swaying back and forth," he said. "I don't feel very well."
"Take a deep breath and think of something else. And please face the other way if you're going to be sick."
If the witch's house had been any farther, we might not have made it. As it was, Eadric was groaning loudly long before the witch opened her cottage door and I was worried that he wasn't going to survive the trip: he was groaning so much that if he didn't die of bag-sickness first, I was going to strangle him to put him out of his misery. I wondered if all male frogs were such babies when they were sick, or only the ones who used to be princes.
I was still trying to block out Eadric's moans by covering my eardrums with my hands when the witch set her lantern down with a clang. Reaching into the sack, she grabbed us and shoved us into a small wicker cage. My head spinning, I lay on the cage floor while she slammed the door shut and fastened a complicated latch.
"There," she said. "That should hold you until I'm ready."
"Ready for what?" I asked the witch as my head cleared. The woman ignored me and emptied her sack onto a rickety table in the middle of the room.
"Yoo-hoo, Witchy! Ready for what?" Eadric echoed me in a shaky voice. The witch turned her back on our cage and took off her shawl.
"Has anyone ever told you that you're very rude?" Eadric asked, his voice getting stronger. "You kidnap us, lock us in a cage without an explanation, and expect us to be nice, well-behaved frogs. Obviously, you don't know me. I don't take anything quietly!"
"Eadric! Shh!" I hissed at him. "You'll make things worse!"
"How can it get worse than this? We were better off as free frogs happily living in the swamp. Now we're stuck here with Rudella the witch and we don't even know why. Hey, Witchy! Answer me! What do you want with us?"
When the witch continued to ignore him, Eadric got a funny look in his eyes. "No witch is going to ignore me for long," he whispered in my eardrum. "Watch this!" He thought for a minute, then planted his hands firmly on his middle and called out, "Hey, Witchy! You're so ugly that you don't have to dye your clothes! One look at you and they die on their own!"