Froggie's Secret

Alligator finds out something scandalous about Froggie, and Toad tries to keep Alligator from letting everyone else know about it.

Toad had a very good friend named Froggie. She loved to drink tea, and she especially liked the way Toad made it. He knew exactly how Froggie liked it. Toad would bring it to her pad in the middle of the pond, any time of day.

While she sipped her tea, Froggie would ask Toad to sit at the very edge of her pad and wait until she was finished. Toad loved the way her pinky pointed when she lifted her cup. When she was done, she always kissed his cheek.

Sometimes, Froggie would ask Toad for another cup, and Toad complied, without complaint. They were the very best of friends, and he knew she really enjoyed a good cup of tea. So, Toad would hop off the pad back to his kitchen on the shore of the pond.

Froggie always felt a little uncomfortable after her first cup of tea, and felt the need to burp. She waited until she was sure Toad was out of sight, looked around to make sure no one was around, and opened her mouth wide and let out a terribly enormous burp, which to the untrained ear, just sounded like a croak.

Well, Toad had forgotten to ask Froggie if she wanted a scone with her tea. So, he hopped back to the edge of the pond and was about to ask her when he was deafened by her monstrous burp.

He immediately hid himself thinking, “She will surely be embarrassed if she knew I had heard her burp.”

So he hopped back to the kitchen to get the tea, deciding to keep it to himself.

“For someone so dainty, she burps much louder than me,” he said to himself.

When Toad turned around, he was startled by Alligator, who had seen the whole thing and was laughing out loud.

“What a burp!” he said, “I can’t wait to tell the whole pond about the horrendous sound Froggie makes!” Alligator swished his tail, wondering whom he was going to tell first.

“Wait!” said Toad, “I don’t think Froggie would like that.”

Alligator smiled, showing his many teeth and said, “You can’t stop me. You’re just a squishy little Toad!”

Toad knew this was true, but he had to do something.

Toad found a pine cone and said, “If I scratch your back with this pine cone, will you keep it a secret?”

Alligator thought for a moment. He could not reach his own back, so it would be nice. “OK,” he said “but I’m awfully itchy, so you’ll have to scratch me for a long time!”

Toad didn’t complain as he hopped onto Alligator’s back, and scratched and scratched and scratched.

When all of Alligator’s itchies were gone, Toad said, “There! Now you’ll keep Froggie’s secret, right?”

Alligator raised an eyebrow, snickered, and said, “No. It’s much too big of a secret. I think I’m still going to tell everyone.”

Toad was dismayed.

Toad though for a moment, “How about if I clean your teeth for you,” he said, “then will you keep the secret?”

Alligator passed his tongue along all of his many, many teeth. He hadn’t been to the dentist in about six months.

“I suppose so,” growled Alligator “but they had better sparkle!”

Toad didn’t complain as he carefully climbed into Alligator’s mouth and brushed and brushed and brushed.

When Alligator’s teeth were as white as snow, Toad hopped out of Alligator’s mouth (being very careful of his teeth) and said, “Now that Froggie’s secret is safe, I have to take her a second cup of tea.” and he turned to go.

But Alligator chuckled, “I’m afraid that her secret might just slip out accidentally in conversation.” Toad was dismayed again. “What else can you do for me?” sneered Alligator.

Toad would do anything for Froggie. “If you promise not to tell anyone about Froggie’s secret,” Toad said as he puffed himself up to look bigger, “I’ll let you eat me.”

Alligator gagged a little, thinking about how squishy Toad would feel inside his stomach, but then his stomach made a grumbling sound.

“Well, I guess I am a bit peckish,” he said. “I’ll promise not to tell Froggie’s secret.” And Toad hopped into Alligator’s mouth.

“Oh,” said Toad just before Alligator closed his mouth, “since I won't be able to, could you take Froggie her tea please?”

Meanwhile, Froggie was getting anxious for her tea. She hopped off her pad toward the kitchen to find Toad, but instead, she found Alligator taking a tea bag out of her cup. “Hello Croaker!” he laughed as he handed her the tea, “I’d love to stay and chat but I must go and tell the pond about your thunderous burp!”

Froggie became red as a bee sting. “Oh Please!” she cried, “Don’t tell. It’s horribly embarrassing!”

Alligator sat for a moment saying “Hmm...,” pretending to consider her plea. “No! I must tell! It’s far too amusing to keep to myself!”

While Alligator was speaking, Froggie could see Toad in the back of his throat, waiting patiently to be swallowed. Quickly, she thought of a plan to rescue Toad.

“Do you think you can burp louder than me?” she taunted.

Alligator was very prideful. “Of course I can, no question about it.”

“Then why don’t we have a burping contest,” she said “If I win, you tell no one about my unbecoming after-tea idiosyncracy, and if you win, you can eat ME for dinner.”

Alligator loved the idea of beating someone in a contest, and was still hungry considering he hadn’t quite swallowed Mr. Toad, so he accepted the challenge.

Froggie sipped down the rest of her tea and readied herself for her croak. She puffed herself up with air and raised her head high.

Alligator looked away as if he wasn’t concerned or paying much attention.

When Froggie released her burp the trees shook and the water rippled. Some leaves fell from the branches surrounding the pond and a couple of birds fell out of trees.

“Is that the best you can do?” snickered Alligator, trying to conceal his amazement. “This is the easiest dinner I’ve ever won.”

Alligator backed up a few steps. “You had better hang on to something.” He said as he opened his mouth wide. As he started sucking in air the trees that grew around the pond bent toward him, and some birds that were flying overhead had some trouble keeping airborne. A rumbling sound started happening in Alligator’s stomach and traveled up toward his throat. As he blew out his burp, instead of a resounding "buuuuuuurrrrrrpppp", out of his mouth shot Toad. The only sound that was heard was a hiss from Alligator, and Toad’s “Woohoohooey.”

Toad landed on his back with a squish close to the shore of the pond. Froggie hopped over to him and helped him to his feet. He was glad to be out of Alligator’s mouth.

Alligator was holding his throat. The force of his attempt to burp louder than Froggie had strained his voice and he could not even speak. He was so embarrassed that he was as red as a firetruck.

Froggie, concerned for his throat, hopped over to Alligator. “I know just the thing for a strained throat,” she said. And she hopped back over to the kitchen and made him some tea with honey and lemon. Toad added some cinnamon. “It’s the way Froggie likes it,” he said.

Froggie was right, the tea made his throat feel much better, and the cinnamon was a very nice touch.

Alligator, humbled by how Froggie and Toad were so nice to him even after he had been so mean to them, decided to apologize.

“I’m sorry..." he coughed.

"I'm, sorry about being so mean to you, Toad, and I’m sorry for being so mean to you too, Froggie,” he said in a raspy voice, “I promise not to tell anyone. Is there any way I can make it up to you?”

“Oh, no harm done. We forgive you,” they said.

But he wanted to do something nice for them.

The next morning, Froggie and Toad were hanging out on the pad in the middle of the pond when they both smelled something.

“What is that smell?” asked Froggie.

“It smells like tea,” said Toad with his nose in the air, “and coffee.”

They turned and looked toward the kitchen and out came Alligator with a cup of tea for Froggie, and fresh brewed coffee for Toad.

“I hope two lumps is sufficient,” said Alligator, smiling as big as ever.

“Why thank you,” Froggie said, “you are so sweet.”

"You didn't have to go to all this trouble," said Toad.

“Well, it’s the least I could do for my new best friends,” said Alligator, as proud as can be. “Please let me know if you would like any more,” said Alligator as he started back to the shore.

Toad looked over to Froggie with a big smile and yelled out to Alligator,

“Alligator?”

“Yes?” he said as he turned around.

“Would you like to sit with us on our pad?”

And so he did.

The End