In a faraway land, one you have only visited in dreams and storybooks, there stood a forest of ancient trees so old the branches interlocked and tangled, embracing like old friends. Deep within this wood, past wildflowers crowned with gold, past brambles and brook and bark, far past any traveler's intrepid gaze, was a pond.

And in this pond, dear reader, lived four frogs.

The first frog, Buck, was tough as shoe leather, and  looked like it too. He was overly fond of giving advice but not overly fond at receiving it. The second frog, Leaf, had luminous eyes like the moon and spoke only in a series of rather expressive blinks. His slender, pointed body matched the exact shape of the willow leaves dotting the shore. Kevin, who could jump higher than any other frog in the pond, loved nothing more than a good pun.

Each of these three frogs were happy in their small but cozy pond. But not Todd. Todd was rather petite, squeaked instead of croaked, and had neither the warts nor strong legs  that made the other frogs so handsome.  In spite of all these obstacles, Todd desired nothing more than to be a true hero.

Which is why the day a golden ball bounced through the ferns and came crashing into their own murky pond, Todd thought he might finally have his chance.

The tumultuous ripples had not yet faded when another noise came crashing through the undergrowth. It was unlike any other creature Todd had ever seen. The beast was the size of a young sapling, but no bark or leafs hid its dry, sandy white skin. Unsettling red lips, like winterberries, framed curiously square white teeth. It gasped and fumbled toward the lake like a fish stranded on land.

"Toad-ally disgusting," said Kevin with a grin, leaping back into the deep waters.

"A human" remarked Buck, "If I'm not mistaken, which of course I am not, it is also known as a homo sapien. They are mammals characterized by their bimodal transportation and opposable-" Leaf interrupted him with two short slow blinks.

Todd said nothing, observing the wailing creature carefully, realizing he had unknowingly drifted closer to shore. He believed that all things had something beautiful about them and he decided that he would find what was beautiful in this fleshy, cumbersome creature. Spreading his emerald toes wide he inched over the paper-thin lily pads, slinking his way over the green stepping stones to shore. When he drew closer a rare trickle of sunshine slid through the willows, slivered and broken, and at last illuminated the creature. Todd gasped (well squeaked at least).

As sunlight poured onto the creature's hair, long and thick and curly, it burned like the sun itself. Todd grinned. Despite the screeching and ugly dry skin, the creature possessed hair that looked like it was stolen from the heavens. Satisfied, and feeling somewhat accomplished, Todd turned to slink back into the pond when the creature's seedy eyes focused on him, and one long tendril of a finger rose to beckon him closer to shore.

Todd felt as if an ice bucket had been thrown over him. Would the terrible beast eat him whole? But a hero must be brave, so he dragged his quaking limbs closer to shore and gazed shakily at the terrifying creature with sunlit hair.

The hawk-like gaze of the human-creature fixed upon him and his trembling lilypad.

"Fetch me my ball, little frog. And when you do you shall be rewarded. I shall give you a kiss."

Todd shuddered, imagining the horrible red lips and stone teeth coming towards him. Though slightly offended by the thought of a repulsive kiss, Todd puffed out his sinuous green chest and nodded once. He was, after all, an especially brave little frog.

The strange golden orb taunted him from the depths, a submerged moon unwilling to rise. Todd's eyes grew and his heart beat faster. This was his chance to be a hero! He paddled over to his three friends who were gathered on a lily pad, determined to seek their help. Leaf blinked twice, very slowly. Buck's throat swelled and he began an impressive soliloquy on various techniques likely to procure its release, ending with the conclusion it was an impossible task for one little frog. Kevin smiled and, before he launched himself spectacularly across the pond, croaked "Frog-get about it man".

Alone in his venture, Todd determinedly dove into the water, pushing with webbed feet deep down where the water was chilly even in summer. He gazed into the golden globe. Its reflective surface shone brilliantly and as he saw his image mirrored, his tiny frog heart sank. It was only the reflection of one small frog. The ball was much too big and heavy, he could never, not even with his four friends, lift it from the pond.

He dragged his limp body back to shore, eyes downcast as he picked his way across the lilypads to the human-creature. A dry sandy hand reached out and roughly scooped him up.

"Where is my ball, little frog?"

Todd looked to the ground, then to the side, then at the ground again. He shrugged his tiny shoulders mournfully.

Seemingly encouraged by his nod, the blue-eyed beast continued.

"I am a princess you see," Todd did not see, but the corners of his mouth twitched in what he hoped was a friendly way and she continued.

"My father is forcing me to marry! A hideous bloke of a man! So of course I went to a witch for this golden ball, which was to make a handsome prince for me, but now I have lost it..." She continued on with her story of despair for quite some time, describing her life in the castle, her oppressive father, his unjust demands, a giant beanstalk, a flatulent cow, her evil stepmother, how long it took to comb her gorgeously long hair, a bloody war, complaining peasants and on and on and on.

"Which is why I desperately need back my golden ball!" she exclaimed. Todd jerked awake as she glared down at him through peculiar hair fringes. Todd realized he had lost track of the tale long ago. She opened her crimson lips again, foreshadowing the second onslaught, when Todd saw the long hanging vines of a weeping willow behind her and suddenly knew what to do.

Todd vaulted from her hand and landed only a bit less gracefully than most heroes would. Todd hopped to the bottom of the weeping willow, pulled the loose vines from the tree and braided them together to form a net. (Do not raise your skeptical brow so quickly, dear reader, frogs are crafty creatures).  After he had braided together the net, Todd slipped the heavy contraption around him and launched his body into the water. The net immediately dragged him downward, and as hard as he kicked his small legs, he sunk only deeper and deeper, no closer to the golden orb. 

Todd looked up just before he settled on the bottom. The sky wavered and his saw the twisted form of the demanding creature. Under the surface her hair no longer looked beautiful and he could longer imagine himself a hero.  He had failed.  Perhaps he should just stay on the bottom with his net. Just as he had lost all hope, he saw a shape coming towards him from across the pond. No, three shapes! Buck, Leaf and Kevin! All three of his friends swam towards him, Buck discussing the exact angle they might affix the net, Kevin grinning, "You look like your in a lily-bit of trouble, but don't worry, we cane toad-ally help", and Leaf, blinking as quickly as he could, either in determination to help, or because he had some dirt in his eye. 

With the three frogs working together, they wrapped the net around the ball in no time. Todd swam back to the surface and mustered up all his froggy strength, and squeaked to the princess, "Pull".

The creature pulled with her ungainly limbs and the four frogs cheered and ribbitted as the globe rose from the bottom and glided through the water into the hands of the princess. 

The princess's wide red lips stretched thin and her square stone teeth reflected into the globe. Todd hoped this meant she was happy.

"Come here, little frog, and I will give you your reward."

Todd swam to the shore and she placed the golden orb in front of him.

"Now look into the orb, and see your destiny. If you so desire it, all you need to do is kiss me and so it will be."

Todd looked into the orb, and a first only saw himself, a small frog. But then, dear reader, his reflection began to grow and stretch and lengthen. His green skin began to turn pale, hair began to sprout from his head.  His reflection became a man!

Todd looked down at his webbed feet. Could it really be? Could he really become a man?

Todd gazed into the ball again and watched himself as a man. He left the pond, and traveled to a distant kingdom. He married the princess, but in the globe she was beautiful! Todd smiled and almost left the orb to jump into the princesses arms, but then saw a shadow move in the back of the globe. He peered closer. The princess was beautiful, but she was not kind, and she lied and spit on those beneath her. He saw himself as a hero, cutting down a giant beanstalk to save the land, but when he peered closer he saw the giants who lived atop the beanstalk were friendly and only used the beanstalk to visit thier children. He saw the beanstalk fall and crush the pond where his friends Buck, Leaf and Kevin all lived. And he saw that as a man he was tall and handsome and others thought him a hero, but inside he was selfish and cowardly. 

The princess came and knelt beside him. Todd could smell a heavy lavender perfume, but it was sickly and too sweet. 

"Well, little frog? Kiss me and become a man."

She lifted him in her arms and puffed out her blood-red lips, and for a moment, Todd was tempted to close his eyes and kiss her. But instead he looked down at the down, at the three sets of eyes watching him from the depths.

"NO."

The princess opened her eyes.

"No? Why would you deny me? You could become a man? And a hero!" Her eyes slanted at him, and he felt her fingers tighten around him, ready to crush his small body. 

Todd raised his eyes to hers and puffed out his sinuous emerald chest. 

"I would rather be a brave little frog, then a cowardly man".

He was, after all, an especially brave little frog.

The princess screeched like a wild dog, and threw him into the air. Todd had only a moment to think he had now soared higher than even Kevin, when he landed with a plop in the middle of the pond. His small body sent miniature waves cascading into the shore. By the time he surfaced the princess had left, storming away and cursing the stupidity of frogs and men. 

Todd sat on his lilypad after she left, quite in shock, but with a faint smile on his face. After some time he he noticed his frog-friend Kevin's head peering at him from beneath moss. "Why are you smiling?" he croaked, tilting his head like he had never seen Todd before.

Todd smiled and leaped into the pond, his small body sending miniature waves cascading onto shore. "First a hero needs to be himself."

Kevin grinned, following him deeper into the murky depths. "Seems a bit of an amphib-uous plan to me."

And each of the four frogs lived long, happy lives in their pond deep in the forest. They had tadpoles, who grew into frogs, who had tadpoles, who grew into frogs, and the forest around them thrived with life and magic. The princess creature never returned for the golden orb, and it was left for the weeds to engulf and surround it. One day, in the future, another would come, and stumble upon it, look into its depths and find their destiny. But that, dear reader, is another story. 

The End

(Don't forget to vote or comment if you enjoyed the story or have any suggestions, thanks!:)