Today I sent two versions of my latest children's story, The Silver Frog, off to publishers. This is the long version of the story. I'd like to think it could be a book with gorgeous illustrations. I will post another blog with the magazine story (which had to be 1000 words or under).
The Silver Frog
(1929 word count)
In a quaint village a young boy lived with his mother. They lived in a small, but comfortable cottage nestled beside a lush forest. The mother and her son only had one another, and even though they did not have a lot of riches their hearts were richly full of love.
The boy was very inquisitive. He loved to go on long journeys through the vast forest, where the cool breezes from the babbling brook would blow through his brown, curly locks. The sounds of nature contained the boy’s favorite melodies, as he would oftentimes hear beautiful symphonies on his walks. The orchestra was comprised of the sounds of nature: the birds were flutes, the leaves were strings, the tree branches were reeds, and the brook was percussion.
The boy loved to go down to the brook each morning to fish and look for trinkets and treasures. And every evening he would return home with his overall pockets full of found items and a fish or two for dinner.
One day, the boy was fishing when something caught the corner of his eye: a shining silver glow underneath the water. At first the boy thought the sun’s reflections were playing tricks on him, as they often did at this time of day. However, upon further inspection, the boy realized it was not the sunshine, but rather a treasure in the muddy bottom of the brook.
The boy took a few steps on the rocky ledge, and made sure to balance himself to get in the proper position. Then he reached down into the murky liquid, grasped the object, and brought out what felt like a stone but had the appearance of a small bullfrog. The boy inspected the frog from all angles, noticing its beautiful silver luster. He knew this treasure should accompany him on his journey home, so he stuffed it into one of the pockets of his overalls. The silver frog accompanied the rest of the boy’s found treasures: a crumbled piece of brown paper, three stones, a slippery snail and a spool of thread.
Quite exhausted and certainly hungry, the boy returned home after a long day of treasure hunting and fishing. After a hearty meal prepared by his mother, the boy changed his clothing and went to bed. However, as he often did, the boy forgot all the treasured items in the pockets of his overalls.
*******************************************************************************************************
A few days had passed and it was the evening of laundry day. The boy’s mother was in the middle of her weekly search through the boy’s pockets. She picked up the fraying overalls, shook her head at disbelief of their condition, and proceeded to searched the contents. The mother quickly retrieved the stones, the thread, the paper, and then noticed a silver frog in her palm. She was immediately intrigued by the pretty treasure. Studying the object further, she began to rub her thumb across the frog’s smooth back.
Then she heard a voice croak, “Hello!”
The mother was startled, and dropped the silver frog to the floor in the laundry room.
“Ow!” said the frog, thankfully saved by a pile of dirty laundry.
“Did you just talk?” asked the frightened mother.
“Yes,” croaked the frog from beneath a shirt. “For I am a wishing frog.”
The mother knelt down, carefully brushed aside the dirty shirt, and slowly picked up the silver frog. She held it in her hand and brought it closer to her face to inspect it further. Finally she replied, “A wishing frog, eh?”
“Yes, kind woman. And I have decided to grant you three wishes.”
The mother looked sceptical at the silver frog, but out of curiosity she said, “Okay then, I wish for a big, beautiful home and all the money I ever would need.” And just like that the mother was standing in a beautiful, sparkling gown amidst a ballroom under an exquisite chandelier.
The mother spun around the room while trying to grasp what had just happened. Her gown was made of the finest silks and satins, and her shoes were velvet and felt like a cloud underneath her tired feet. And for once she felt truly clean. The mother caught her reflection in a nearby mirror and noticed her hair was pulled up into a chiffon and adorned with jewels and gems. She was so caught up in the moment, she barely heard the frog croak, “What is your second wish, my good woman?”
The mother was too astonished to think of another wish, since her first wish was granted beyond her wildest dreams. So she looked down into her hands and quietly said, “Well, I don’t quite know. May I ask for my second wish at another time?”
The frog croaked, “Yes, of course, good woman. Just place me on a high shelf so no one can find me. When you are ready for your second wish take me down, stroke my back, and state your heart’s desire.”
So the mother put the silver frog on the very high shelf in her dressing room, knowing it would stay safe there.
********************************************************************************************************
Upon waking the next morning, the boy was surrounded by a fluffy bed with many large pillows and silk sheets. He was shocked to find his room had changed so dramatically. But he decided that it must be a glorious dream. And if this was a dream, he would run down to the brook and catch the biggest fish ever. However, after searching and searching his room, he could not find a pair of overalls that he liked to wear when fishing. The boy decided instead to put on one of the new, clean and pressed outfits from his closet and worry about the overalls later. After all, there was a big fish waiting to be caught.
Just as he was about to leave his room, the door opened and there a strange gentleman stood. “Ah, master, you are awake and ready for your studies I see.”
The boy was very confused. “I do not understand what you are talking about, sir. I am on my way down to the brook to fish and look for treasures!”
“I am sorry, master, you must be mistaken,” the gentleman laughed. “Today we are going to study conversational Latin as well as the History of the World up through the 1400s”
The boy knew he was defeated, so he slowly walked to a table in the room and sat listening to the gentleman talk.
********************************************************************************************************
Time passed at the beautiful manor home. The mother became increasingly bored from having nothing to do. Her unending supply of money had bought everything she could imagine: maids, cooks, tutors for the boy, as well as every delicacy known to man. Since the boy was occupied with tutors and the like, her days were very dull. She no longer had to play the part of a mother, but one of a very wealthy lady in high society. The one thing she was missing was a husband, someone who would share her newly attained riches. However, she could not wish for just anyone, she would wish for the most amazing person imaginable: a prince.
So the mother returned to her dressing room and reached for the silver frog who sat high above on a shelf. She did exactly what the silver frog had told her. As she was rubbing his back she said, “I wish a handsome prince would ask for my hand in marriage and come live with me at my beautiful home.” With that, a knock came at the front door of the manor. A few moments later, a servant brought a most handsome man into the hall.
In her haste to see who was at the door, the mother forgetfully left the frog sitting out on her vanity.
As the mother entered the hall, her servant stated, “A prince is here to see you, madam.”
Without warning, the prince immediately fell to one knee, took the mother’s hand, and simply stated, “I wish for you to be my wife.”
The mother was so elated, she immediately cried, “yes!”
*******************************************************************************************************
Many months had passed since the boy found the silver frog in the brook. Life as he knew it had changed completely. He no longer was able to fish or search for treasures, he had a prince as a father, and even worse he hardly ever saw his mother anymore. She was too busy with society meetings, buying new clothing or frivolous items for the home, or throwing lavish parties to celebrate her union with her new husband: the prince. The boy simply wished for things to return to the way they were.
After his studies were done for the day, the boy began to cry. Tears poured from his eyes, and he ran down the hall and into his mother’s dressing room hoping to find her there. Not surprisingly, his mother was not in her room. He sat on a padded bench and began to cry even harder. Then something caught his eye. Through his tears the boy saw a light shining on the vanity. At first he thought it was a ray of sunlight hitting the mirror. However, when he wiped the tears from his eyes he realized the light was coming from the silver frog he had found at the brook many months ago. He walked over to the vanity, picked up the silver frog and sat back down upon the bench.
The boy knew he had not been dreaming and that something had altered his life. But it wasn’t until this moment that he knew exactly from where it had come: the silver frog. The boy wiped away more of his tears, took a deep breath and began talking to the frog, begging for it to respond. At first nothing happened, but eventually the boy rubbed the smooth back and the silver frog croaked, “Hello. I am a wishing frog.”
“Why hello, little frog,” said the boy.
“Hello boy,” croaked the frog.
“You are a wishing frog?” questioned the boy.
“Yes, I am,” croaked the frog. “And I have one wish left to grant.”
The boy knew that his mother had only wished for riches and fame because they had lived on so little before. He knew his mother must also be sad just like him, for they were both so far removed from what their life used to be. They may not have had much, but they had had each other. The magic of this silver frog had caused this unhappiness, he knew it. So without anymore thought, the boy cried out, “I wish I had never found you!”
And in a blink of an eye, the boy was back at the brook, listening to the magical orchestra of the forest. He was in his old, fraying overalls, fishing and searching for treasures. He suddenly had a bite on his hook! The boy reeled in the biggest fish ever, put it in his bucket, and started for home. As the boy rounded the corner to the path up to his home he saw the quaint and comfortable cottage and beamed with anticipation.
He approached the door, and before he could knock the door opened. His mother, in her plain brown dress, white apron, and hair every-which-way was standing with her arms open wide. The boy dropped his fishing pole and pail and embraced his mother. From this day forward he knew things would be different. For they didn’t need magic to give them happiness and riches; they only needed each other.
