Story of the Week #2

Little frog and little snake

Based on a folktale from the Ekoi people in Africa

There was once a little frog who jumped to the lake every day to play. He always played
by himself but dreamed that one day he would have a friend to play with. His mother
waved him off in the morning when he jumped, hopped, and hurried away. One day
while he was splashing around in the water, he looked toward the tall reeds at the
far end of the lake. There he saw a pair of eyes. He looked at the eyes, and the eyes
looked back at him. He approached the eyes, moving closer and closer until he heard
a voice.

"Who are you?"

"I'm little frog. Who are you?"

"I'm little snake."

"Do you want to play?"

"Sure."

Then they started to play together. After a while the snake asked, "What is that you
are doing?"

"I jump," said the frog, and began to show the snake how he could jump. It was not
easy for the snake who had no legs to push up, but he tried and tried.

"It's getting better," said the frog. "Soon you can jump, too."

"Sure."

"Do you want to learn to slither?"

"Absolutely," said the frog. Then the snake began to show how to use the abdominal
muscles to move the body from side to side. It was not easy for the frog, because he
had never known that he had such muscles and they did not seem to work as well as
the muscles of the snake. He continued to practice.

"It's getting better," said the snake. "Soon you can slither on the ground."

"Sure. But soon I have to go home for the day."

"Me too."

The two new friends parted for the evening and were determined to meet at the same
place the next day.The next day the two met and played all day. Jump, slither, jump, slither ...

"Do you want to be my friend?" Asked the frog.

"I think we are already friends," said the snake. Then they decided to meet again the
next day.

On the way home, the frog thought what luck he had, who had such a good friend now.
Jump, slither, jump, slither ...

His mother was waiting for him when he got home. "You look happy. Have you found
a new friend?"

"Yes," said the frog.

"Who is it? What's his name?"

"His name is little snake."

His mother started screaming in horror. "No no no. You must not be friends with a snake.
Snakes eat frogs. No no. You can never meet him again. You can not trust a snake."

At the same time, the little snake had arrived home. He tried to jump a couple of times
on his way home as he thought of his new friend.

His mother was waiting for him when he got home. "You look happy. What have you
done today?"

"I've got a new friend," said the snake.

"Who is it? What's his name?"

"His name is little frog."

His mother started flicking her tongue. "Yum! Yum! Yum! I like small frogs, too. I eat
small frogs. Can I meet your friend?"

The little snake answered his mother with horror. "No. no. no. You can not eat my friend.
He is my friend, not your food."

"Snakes eat frogs. You know that. If you do not eat him, I'll do it."

"Mom!"

The next morning, the little frog jumped toward the lake to play. The little snake slithered
toward the lake to play. As soon as they met, the frog said, "My mom said I can not play
with you. She thinks you will eat me up."

"I certainly would not. But my mother said that I'm supposed to eat you. I said that I
would not eat my friends."

They looked at each other. They looked at each other for a long time. It felt like their eyes
were slipping farther apart until they looked from opposite sides of the lake.

Suggestions:

The end is not completed here, if you want to write the end together with the students.

©️ Laurina Bergqvist