Week 6 Storytelling: The Tale of Frank and George

The Tale of Frank and George 

Once upon a time there were two frogs who had lived in the same land their entire lives. They had never explored the neighboring land that lay just over the hill. It was not that they had no interest to go explore the great-unknown land, It was simply that neither had ever had the courage to leave.

            One of the frogs, named George, had lived in the same swamp since the day he was just a little tadpole. His mother had protected him and sheltered him in their swamp in the land of Panmith. His days were spent hopping around the grassy brush of their home, or swimming with his brothers and sisters. His brothers always teased George that he would not do anything adventurous. They would dare him to go touch the old rotting tree, which their mother had told them to never go to. When he refused to disobey his mother’s rules, his brothers and sisters called him cowardly and laughed at him. But George had had about all he could take. He wanted to show them he could be brave and adventurous. So he decided he would venture not just past the rotting tree, but all the way over the hill to the neighboring land of Swamith.

As George set out to climb the hill he was unsure if he had made the right decision. He was leaving behind his home; the only place he had ever known. His mother would be so angry with him. And what if Swamith was the exact same as Panmith? Would he regret his decision to leave? As he was contemplating these questions and planning to turn around and go home, George spotted an old grey owl in a big oak tree. The owl cooed:

If you never go

You will never see

What the other place could be

The owl’s words were exactly what George needed to hear to keep going on his adventure, and with the owl’s advice he decided to travel to Swamith and start a new adventure…

            In the land of Swamith lived another cowardly little frog named Frank. Frank was an only child frog. A human boy with a net had captured his siblings and mother. His father was so upset that since that day he had barely spoken a word to his son. Frank was lonely. He had always thought about leaving and going over the hill to see what the land of Panmith was like. Many of his friends had mentioned its beautiful swamps, and he always wanted to see it for himself. Frank hated to leave his father all alone, but he needed to be happy, and right now he was just sad. So he decided he would venture all the way over the hill to the neighboring land of Panmith.

As Frank started his adventure he began to question his choice to leave. He was leaving his father, who had already endured so much heartache, all-alone. And what if Swamith was the exact same as Panmith? Would he regret his decision to leave? As he was contemplating these questions and planning to turn around and go home, Frank spotted an old grey owl in a big oak tree. The owl cooed:

If you never go

You will never see

What th other place could be

             The owl’s words were exactly what Frank needed to hear to keep going on his adventure, and with the owl’s advice he decided to travel to Panmith and start a new adventure…

Green Swamp Frog, Source: Pixabay

Author's Note: This is a retelling of an original tale from the Japanese Tales (Lang) unit called The Two Frogs. In the original tale, two frogs go on top of a hill to see the other's land and decide if they want to go visit the other side. When the frogs climb on each others' backs, they have their noses facing the new land but their eyes (on the back of their head) face their land they just came from. They see, what they think is the unexplored land, looks the same as theirs and decide to turn around and go back home. In my story, I wanted them to go to the unexplored land because I think being adventurous and traveling is so important in life.

Bibliography: The Two Frogs. The Violet Fairy Book by Andrew Lang and illustrated by H. J. Ford (1901).