tale of a sweet talking frog

[my rendering of an old tale]

Long, long ago, deep in a forest a league or more from the earls's great castle was a little humble rustic village. And in this little humble rustic village lived a quaint little old man with a particular habit.

Every morning, if the weather be fair mind you, the old man with staff in hand went down a well trodden path that meandered through the forest whilst listening to the chirpping of birds and watching shafts of sunlight glowing through limbs and leaves.

On one particular morning walk, or better said a shuffle, the old man heard a voice that said so sweetly, 'If you kiss me I will turn into a beautiful young maiden and be your's forever.'

The old man, startled, stopped, pulled the back of his pants up with one hand, and looked about to find from whence this sweet voice spoke. With no success, the old man continued, staff firmly in hand, when again he heard, 'If you kiss me I will turn into a beautiful young maiden and be your's forever.'

Again the old man stopped, scratched the top of his head, and looked around. Glancing to the ground whilst now rubbing his chin he saw a large green frog with large green eyes batting its long green eyelashes, that said, 'Sir', with emphasis, 'if you kiss me I will turn into a beautiful young maiden and be your's forever.'

The old man, first startled, now excited, without a reply picked up the large green frog, put it in his pouch, and rushed back to the village as quickly as his old feet could shuffle.

Whilst shuffling from the forest to the small open field that led to the village green, the old man saw two of his dearest friends sitting on an old log by the edge of the green. He approached them with a hearty greeting and told them his story of the talking frog. Mute, they stared at him in disbelief, turned to each other nearly nose to nose, then suddenly burst out laughing so uncontrollably that they both nearly fell off the log.

With a slight squint of the eye and nod of the head, the old man spoke, 'I tell the truth and so will prove!', and forthwith, like sleight of hand, pulled the large green frog out from his pouch. There it was, in his hand, batting its long green eyelashes, saying with mild but noticeable impatience, 'Sir, if you kiss me I will turn into a beautiful young maiden and be your's forever.'

Starring at the large green frog with large green eyes batting its eyelashes, the old man's friends rose to his side and nudged him with their elbows shouting, 'Well aren't you going to kiss the frog? Kiss the frog! Aren't you going to kiss the frog?'

The old man looked up at his two dear friends and replied, 'Are you daft? At my age? I would rather a talking frog.'