Frog and Friends (2 page)

THING started to rise again. It bumped into the oak tree and . . .

BANG!

It was the loudest bang in the world.

Drifting down from the oak tree were little pieces of THING.

“We killed it!” Frog moaned. “Oh, that is so sad.”

“We will have a funeral,” Rabbit said. “A nice one.”

“To show we are sorry,” Frog added.

They dug a small hole under the oak tree and buried all the little bits of THING. Then they held paws and sang a sorry song.

“I wonder what THING was?” Rabbit asked.

Frog shook his head. “I suppose we will never know.”

Raccoon came by Frog's home.

“I was told you have a bad cold,” she said. “I knitted this pretty blue scarf for you. It will keep you warm and help your cold.”

“Oh, thank you,” Frog said. “It will be perfect.”

But it was not perfect.

Frog tried to wrap it around his neck. “But I have no neck,” Frog said to himself. “And I am too slippery.”

The scarf slipped up to cover his face. “Help, help! I cannot breathe.”

Then it slipped over his eyes. “Help, help! Now I cannot see. I will give this pretty blue scarf to my friend, Rabbit. There is nothing wasted that you give to a friend.”

“Oh, thank you,” Rabbit said. “This will be perfect.”

She wore the scarf all day.

But it was not perfect.

“My own fur is so soft and cozy. This pretty blue scarf makes me too hot. I will give it to my friend, Squirrel. He will look spiffy in it.”

Squirrel did look spiffy in it. “This is perfect,” he said.

But it was not perfect.

“This pretty blue scarf is scratchy,” he said. “It makes me itch. I know, I will give it to my friend, Possum. She can cuddle her babies in it.”

“Oh, thank you,” Possum said. “This will be perfect.”

She tucked her babies in the pretty blue scarf.

But it was not perfect.

Her babies did not like it one bit.

“Let us out, let us out,” they squeaked. “Help, help! We are trapped.”

They squeaked and squealed and bit their mother and each other.

“Oh dear,” Possum said, untucking them. “I know. I will give the pretty blue scarf to Frog. I hear he has a bad cold.”

Frog was surprised when Possum came.

“Thank you, Possum,” he said. “But I am too slippery to wear a pretty blue scarf. And I have no neck. A scarf will not stay where I put it.”