Real Friends

Real Friends

Inside of the pouch Litho could barely hear the stick being dragged as it formed a trench into the dirt. He mouthed the words Galatea recited as she walked.

“Rise up high

From earth to sky

Protect all that dwell on

The inside.”

When the end of the trench met the beginning Galatea headed towards the shade of a large oak tree. Opening her pouch a head popped out. ”Hello Litho?”

“Hello right back at you. I’m soooooo….hungry. Where’s the bugs?”

Picking up her bullfrog Galatea said, “See that marshy area over there. I’m sure it’s full of slimy crawly things.”

“Sit me down, please…. sit me down! My tummy is rumbly.” Galatea set Litho on the ground. He stretched out his front legs as far as they would go and then did the same with each of his back legs. “Oooo, that feels so good after a long nap.” Litho faced the marsh and took one hop forward, turned around and winked, then continued on his way as he danced and sang,

“Bom bom bom bom

Slurp them down

Bom bom bom bom

squishy and round

Bom bom bom bom

Wings or feet

Clap clap clap clap

They are a treat

Bom bom bom bom

Bugs are yummy

Bom bom bom bom

Bugs are sweet

Clap clap clap clap

Tasty…tasty…

Tasty….treats

Hm hm hm hm”

“Don’t you bring back any of those nasty…crawly things,” Galatea called after him. Litho kept hopping forward until he disappeared into some tall weeds. Galatea went over to a grassless area and began to move rocks into a circle.

A half hour later she headed to the fire pit with her arms full of wood when she heard. “Help! Help! gurgle.”

Galatea dropped the wood and ran. Her face became red and her eyes scanned from left to right. “Litho, Litho where are you?”

Reaching the weeds, she stopped and listened. The only sound was her heart pounding. Even the song birds were nowhere to be seen.

“Litho, Litho,” she shouted. Galatea carefully walked through some tall grass and called again for her friend, “Litho, where are you?”

She went a few more steps deeper into the marsh and found a small area of open water. A red hawk was sitting on top of a log that was half way stuck in the mud. The bird was hunched over staring downward. It was here she saw Litho curled up underneath it. Only his eyes were sticking out of the water. Noticing Galatea….Litho eyeballs got bigger.

Galatea quickly raised her left hand and blurted out, “Raise up water!” A single wave rose up above the hawk. The bird turned its head at Galatea and glared. Galatea leaned forward and moved her hand higher. The wave rose up too.

Letting out a piercing scream…the hawk flew away.

Galatea released her hand and called out, “Litho, Everything is okay. You can come out now. I made the hawk leave.” The bullfrog lifted his head out of the water and looked around.

“Are you sure it’s okay?” asked Litho looking around.

“Yes, I am sorry that happened to you. The hawk must have been in here somewhere before I cast my protection spell. He left and he won’t be able to fly back in.” Litho slowly climbed out while checking his surroundings. He sat on top of the log for a moment and then hopped over to Galatea. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, Good thing I am fast. I was almost a snack.”

“What happened?”

“I was sitting by the water and a muskrat appeared. He said, ‘Hello Friend, welcome!’ He asked if I knew the best place for catching bugs. I told him I didn't. Then the muskrat said I should sit on that log. I thanked him and jumped over to it. When I went to ask his name he was gone. I saw a large shadow and…I realized the hawk was coming at me. I hopped into the water and I yelled for you.”

“I am thankful I heard you and could get here in time.” replied Galatea

“I thought it was weird the muskrat left because he said we were friends. I think he wanted me to sit there on purpose.”

“I agree,” said Galatea. She picked Litho up until they were face to face. Several tears escaped from his eyes. “I promise to always take good care of you, Litho. You are going to stay close to me tonight. You can eat whatever bugs you find hiding under rocks and the wood pile as I build the campfire.”

“Okay, I would like that,” replied Litho his voice shaking.

Later when the crickets started to sing their night song Galatea snapped her fingers at the wood and recited,

“Twist and turn

Until rings are formed.”

The smoke rose up and made whispery circles that floated in all directions. Litho spied a moth flying towards the campfire. When it went through the center of a smoke ring. His tongue zapped it.

“Oh, one of my favorite games. Bullseye the bugs.”

“Have fun tonight, you silly frog,” Galatea replied while opening her bedroll and sitting down.

After a while, Litho went over and snuggled next to her. “Galatea, how can you tell if someone is a friend or not?”

“That’s a good question, Litho. Sometimes it is hard to tell. The muskrat you talked to today was a fake friend. He only wanted to get you into trouble. He didn’t really want to help you.”

“Why would he do that?”

“We will probably never know? Maybe he didn’t want to share the marsh with anyone. Maybe he just wanted to see you get eaten? Litho, real friends try to find ways to take care of you, get you out of trouble or cheer you up to make you happy. You told me Midas is your friend. How do you know he is a real friend?”

“Hmmm…let me think. I know when I have asked Midas for help. It makes me feel happy to see him hopping over. When my brothers and sister moved away I cried. Midas came over to see how I was. He made jokes to make me laugh. When he did that it made me feel special.”

“That’s because Midas is a real friend. He is there for you in good times and bad. Litho, What if…. sometimes…Midas is too busy to help when you ask him?”

“He will tell me and I will understand because he helps me at other times.”

“What about Bloody?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Everyone is afraid of Bloody. He’s a red frog who was born with fangs and sucks the blood of his prey.”

“Are you afraid of Bloody?” ask Galatea.

“No…no I’m not.”

“Why?”

“Bloody saved my life once. I almost got eaten by a black water snake. Bloody attacked it and bit it with his fangs. He noticed I was upset and he invited me to sit with him at the end of his pond. After that whenever I hopped by his pond, I waved. Sometimes I stopped for a visit. We have things that are the same like we both get our feelings hurt easily.”

“Would you say Bloody is a real friend?”

“Hmmmm….Yes, yes I would. Oh I get it…everyone should not be judgy because you might be wrong about someone.”

“Litho, you don’t get to decide how others feel but you can improve on how…. you feel… and how….you act.”

“Galatea, I like real friends.”

“Yes, I totally agree. Litho, did you know that you can tell if someone is smart because it takes…..brain power, it takes thought and effort to give compliments and be nice. It takes no brain power to hurt someone’s feelings.”

“Ooooo, then I am super smart!”

“Yes you are!”

“And…so are you!”

“It’s time for me to go to sleep. Good night Litho.”

“Good night Galatea”, he replied as he hopped to the front of her bedroll and watched the smoke rings.

All was quiet…… until…… softly…

“Bom bom bom bom

Slurp them down

Bom bom bom bom

Squishy and round

Bom bom bom bom

Wings or feet

Clap clap clap clap

They are a treat

Hm hm hm hm”

The following wizard friends allowed me to use their familiars in my story.

Kel 1/1-#8721 Arch-Magician Pumlo of the Bastion and his familiar a golden toad named Midas.

Panico-#3930 Battlemage Drako of the Obelisk and his familiar an ember frog named Bloody.