Warty quickly jumped from log to log, trying his best to outrun the ravenous cat. He could feel it’s hot breath on his legs when he stretched them out to jump. He sprung into a wet, muddy hole, but that did not stop the cat. Warty could feel it’s claws swiping through the water-filled ditch, fishing for him. He sprung again, as far as he could, and exploded out of the puddle, like a fish leaping out of water. The lanky brown tabby barely missed his long hind legs. The chase continued.
Warty could hardly catch his breath, and his throat was tightened in fear. His energy was running out, but he pressed on. “A log!” he croaked. He clambered inside the rotting tree trunk laying on its side. The long brown cat hesitated, but crammed its head into the log’s opening. Warty let out a croak of disbelief. “The cat can fit!” Warty looked around to find an escape route, but to no avail. “This is it!” he thought to himself, “This is how it all ends!” Soon, he felt the mighty beast’s fangs sink into his hind leg. He screeched in alarm and flailed helplessly. The cat has caught him. Fighting was hopeless. It drug warty out of the log, and began to run. Warty’s limp body hit every rock, stone, and stick the cat jumped over. “Just eat me already you nasty creature!” He rasped. “Spare me the pain! Spare me the torture! I simply cannot take it anymore!” The cat could not understand him. Warty felt the trickle of his own blood running down his bumpy skin. His head spun.
“Let that poor old toad go!” A gruff and raspy voice rang out. The cat stopped dead in its tracks. The voice continued to throw commands at the cat, until he felt the cat’s body quiver, and felt himself drop onto cold, hard stone. He tried his best to jump away, but he was exhausted, and his hind leg which the cat was latched onto was unable to move.
“Come ‘ere old feller” Warty heard the voice say, “Let’s take a look at you.” To his horror, a gigantic creature, far greater than the cat, loomed over him. He let out a terrified shriek as the creature's huge hands scooped him up. It was a human! Mother and Father Toad has always warned him as a tadpole to never come in contact with humans! He helplessly scooted around in the human’s hands in an attempt to escape. The hands grasped him tighter. Soon, Warty saw the creature's face: A aged, heavily-wrinkled, hairless, pale pink eyesore. The old man peered at him quizzically. “Ol’ Scrappy’s done a number on you, old feller!” He grumbled. “Just eat me!” Warty responded. The Old man could not understand him either. “Stop yer whinin’ it’ll be okay”, he said, and placed Warty in his jacket pocket. Warty was confused. “He placed me in a pouch!” He thought to himself, “What will this monster do to me?” Warty continued to hear the elder talk quietly to him, but the thick padded fabric blocked his words. He mustered up the strength to stick his head out of the pocket. He saw the incredible distance between him and the ground, and the long swift strides the elderly human took. He could see the whole world from the pocket: Grass, trees, stones, mudholes, and the thin brown cat, who looked small and insignificant from this vantage point. He let out a croak of awe.
The old man approached his lair: a tall stone box. He jostled a small bulging stone located on a wooden slab, and the slab was moved out of the way. (Door and doorknob) It was dark inside. The old man ran his finger across some odd shapes plastered to the wall, and to Warty’s utter surprise, Three miniature suns lit up! They were small, round, shockingly bright, and sunken into the box’s ceiling. Before Warty could react, He felt the old man drag him out of the pocket, and place him into a small wooden box. Warty looked up at the fleshy wrinkled beast. Was that sympathy shining in his giant eyes? Warty managed to drag himself to the corner of the box and cower in fear.
The strange man inspected Warty, and left the box. Warty was overcome with relief. “Now, I just need to find my way out of the box, and the humans’ lair, and I'll be on my way!” He grumbled to himself! He leaped, but his hind leg buckled up. He croaked in agony. The old man mumbled incoherent phrases from across the room. “He hears me!” Warty thought to himself, “I better keep quiet or he may come back!” Although Warty did not mutter a single ribbit, the elder returned. Warty felt his throat tighten in apprehension. To his dismay, he reached down to touch him. Warty jumped with all his might, and clumsily landed on the other side of his small wooden box. It did not help, for the old gruff human just slid his hand over to his new location.
On his index finger sat a large transparent clump of goo. It reached out to his bad leg. Warty shuffled wildly in fear, trying to move his leg out of reach. Suddenly, the cold gooey sap was applied to the open wound on his leg. It felt surprisingly good! It numbed the pain and soothed the throbbing. Warty stopped struggling and relished the feeling of the goo. “What is this stuff”, thought Warty, “Why did the human place it on me?” It certainly did not feel dangerous! Should he worry, should he try to jump away? He tried to flex his injured leg, and the searing pain returned. He decided then, since he did not appear to be in danger, to stay still. The old man chuckled quietly, grumbled a few words, then retreated. Warty stayed still.
Warty awoke as the hand picked him up. He let out an alarmed squawk. Did he fall asleep? How long has he been unconscious? Before he knew it, he was being lowered into another box. This one was large, shiny, and transparent. In the bottom was moss, a small container of water, and some stones and pebbles. It looked like home! His slimy webbed feet touched the soft damp moss. The human released his grip on him. Before warty could inspect his new box, the human lowered something else beside him: A wriggling mealworm! He instinctively shot out his moist pink tongue and captured the snack. He retracted his tongue and swallowed it whole. Delicious! “More!” He ribbited happily, “Give me more snacks!” “You like that little worm, don’t you ol’ feller?”, chimed in the old man. He was smiling happily at him. He reached into a small cylindrical container and picked up another worm. He tossed it in, and Warty caught it before the poor mealworm could even hit the bottom of the box.
After the elderly man finished feeding Warty all the mealworms he could eat, he left the box and disappeared outside his lair. Warty took a look around. He could jump again now, but his leg still aches when he moves it. He hopped atop the largest stone, and placed his web toes on a transparent wall. Outside, he saw a large box about the size of the one he was in currently. It read: “Glass Terrarium Amphibian Cage”. Warty did not understand a single word. Beside that was the cylinder with the mealworms. They were centered around a bag reading: “Pet Store”. Warty did not know what to make of this, so he turned himself around, leg aching slightly. He saw another miniature sun placed on a stick! How peculiar! It was lighting up small rectangles plastered on the wall. Warty studied them closely: Small gold-rimmed images, depicting a human inside. She appeared to be young; equivalent to a human tadpole. Warty did not like the mischievous looks on her face.
Hours later, Warty found himself being picked up again. He shivered a little, but did not try to leap away. “That leg’s lookin’ better lil’ froggy!” grumbled the old man. “You just needed some ointment and a good meal!” He stroked Warty's head. It felt good! Warty allowed the human to continue petting him. He continued to mumble about things Warty did not understand, and warty found himself getting tired. Soon the old man had a sleeping toad in his hands!
One week has passed. Warty had been living a pampered life inside his personal terrarium. His leg has healed completely. He ate an array of insects on a daily basis, and was often stroked and placed in the old man’s pocket. He enjoyed every minute of his new life. “Being caught by that cat was the best thing that has ever happened to me!” he thought to himself. “This human is great! Mother and Father Toad had it all wrong!”
One day, Warty saw a new human enter the old man’s lair, or as he calls it, his “house”. To Warty’s surprise, it was the small human Tadpole he saw pictured on the wall! She was only half the size as the old man, and had long hair atop her head, and a smooth, unwrinkled face. She spoke in a high pitched tone.
“Pappy” She squeaked. “Wanda!” He responded gruffly. “Whatta surprise to see ya ‘ere! How ya doing sweetie? How’s school?” The girl embraced the old man and said, “Good! But I need your help!”
“Is dat so, Sweetheart?”
“Yes! Tomorrow is “Pet Day” at school! As you know, I do not have pets, so can I borrow Scrappy?”
“Sure! If ya can catch ‘er!”
Warty saw the young human stretch out her arms towards the lanky brown cat. The cat stood up in alarm, arched her back and hissed. The girl did not understand her warning, and proceeded to pick her up. “Careful, Dear!” Interjected the old man. The cat hissed again, and flailed in her arm until she was able to wiggle out of the child’s grip. The cat ran and the child followed. She bumped into various pieces of furniture placed about the house. Warty grew apprehensive and crawled into the shadow of a stone. Eventually, the cat flew out the door at lightning speed, and disappeared into the forest undergrowth outside.
“Scraaaaaappppy!” Yelled the child. The old man placed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s ‘kay, Honey, Just let ‘er go.” She responded, “But what about Pet Day, Pappy?” The Elder thought, then smiled. “I think I know the guy for the job!”
Next thing Warty knew, he was being lifted up out of the terrarium. He was relieved to see it was the old man and not the child. The old man stroked his head, then lowered him down so the child could see him. Warty saw bright blue eyes staring at him, glistening with excitement. He stood still, in fear.
“This here, see, is me old toad”, Rasped the elder. “Saved ‘em from Ol’ Scrappy a while back.” “Wooaaah!” Chirped the child. “Is he slimy? Can I hold him?” “Sure!” Replied the old man.”And he ain’t too slimy, either”. His words dissolved into a hearty chuckle as he passed Warty into the hands of the child. Warty was a bit afraid, but considering the old man was kind, maybe the child would be also! She might even pat his head or give him a mealworm!
Warty greeted her with a triumphant croak. “Eeeep!” She squealed. She threw up her hands in alarm and dropped Warty. Splat! Shocked, and dazed, Warty let out an inaudible moan. “Careful, Sweetheart!” shouted the old man. “He’s soft and fragile! Handle ‘em like a baby bunny!”
The old man scooped him up again, and placed him back in the child’s hands. She stared at him uneasily, then ran her finger down his back. “He’s really bumpy!” She giggled. The old man laughed again. “Quite an odd lookin’ feller ain’t he? “Yeah!” she replied happily, “He’s kinda gross, but he’s also kinda cute!” Warty let out an absent-minded croak. She flinched a little, then giggled and patted his head. “Well that settles it!”, declared the elder. “The ol’ toad ‘ill attend Pet Day!”
The very next day, Warty found himself in an old container of cottage cheese. A blanket of grass and assorted man-made objects Warty did not recognize sat in the bottom, and air holes were poked in the lid. He was frightened. The walls of the container were unnatural and claustrophobic, and the ceiling only inches above his head. He tried to jump against the lid, but it did not budge. “Croooooak!” he called, hoping the old man would hear him and set him free. “Croak! Croak! Croooak!” Silence. He shifted himself around in the container. He touched the slick sides of the white container with his webbed toes, and tried to look out of the air holes. He certainly did not appreciate his current whereabouts, and wished to be removed soon.
Warty was about to doze off to sleep, when he felt the container be picked up. He let out a croak of alarm. It was responded with a soft and feminine giggle. “The human tadpole!” thought Warty, “She’s put me into this little cage, and is picking it up!” It rocked back and forth as the tiny human skipped through the outside world. “Froggy! Froggy! Time to go Mr. Froggy!” the child yelled excitedly. The cage shook. Warty was jostled about the cage, and his soft head hit the ceiling multiple times. He let a furious croak of annoyance. The container continued to be tossed around for several long minutes. Suddenly, the outer world erupted in a caterwaul of ear-splitting ruckus. Human voices everywhere! Warty heard one squeaky voice say: “Wanda! Wanda! Do you have a pet, Wanda? Why do you have a container of cottage cheese?” The child responded: “My pets inside this container! Come and see!”
Just then, The lid was pulled back. To his surprise, an assembly of young human tadpoles stared down at him, eyes wide.
“What is that thing?”
“Is that a lizard?”
“No Jimmy, you doofus, it’s a toad!”
“Oh yeah, Kevie? How can you tell?”
“It’s fat, ugly, and bloated!”
The human tadpoles burst in obnoxious laughter. Water droplets sprayed from their mouths. The one child, who’s name appeared to be “Wanda”, looked uncomfortable. Warty did not care how she felt, he just wanted to go back to the terrarium. “Take me home!” he cried. “I don’t like it here!” “Where’s the old man?” Just then, Wanda gripped him furiously, and lifted him up out of the container.
What Warty saw horrified him: An abundance of Human tadpoles, cats, and all other various animals Warty did not recognize. They All had their eyes on him as Wanda held him over her head. The cats stared at him with hungry and mischievously playful gazes. A fluffy long-eared creature locked it’s beady eyes on him.
Then, Warty saw it.The beast took Warty’s breath away. It was a giant, furry, brown and white, slobbing, stinking monster. It was much larger than the largest cat he’s ever seen. It’s tail beat back and forth wildly. It’s massive jaws were parted, showing fangs and a lolling tongue. The beast’s eyes stared directly at him, and let out a thunderous “Woof!”
Warty wildly flailed in Wanda’s grip. He broke free, landing right on top of Wanda's head! The children erupted in furious, hysterical laughter. They howled in delight. This terrified Warty even more. He took a massive leap off her head, and back into the cottage cheese container. “What a stupid pet!” a child laughed. “Wanda always does such stupid things!” At this point, Wanda appeared to be fuming with embarrassed anger. Her head was a fiery red hue. She, once again, picked up Warty in a desperate attempt to redeem her popularity. She held him up again and shook him in the air, screeching words Warty could not make out. The furry beast stared at him intensely, and performed a playful stance, tail waving like a flag. “Woof! WOOOF!” Warty thrashed against Wanda’s fearsome grip. He broke free. He landed on the floor with a weakly “thud”, much like the time she first threw him. Before Warty could even get to his feet, he saw the beast charge directly at him. He heard the children scream. He leapt with all his might. He landed in front of a child. “EW!” she screamed! And tried to stomp him. Warty leapt again, and again.
It was utter chaos. Human tadpoles laughed, screamed, and chased him. Their heavy steps nearly crushed him. Cats hissed and other animals screeched. On top of it all, the beast wildly sprinted towards him with gaping jaws dripping saliva everywhere. Jump, screaming children, jump, parted jaws, jump, jump, jump.
For what seemed like hours, he leapt from object to object, all of which he could not recognize. He was running out of energy, out of breath, out of hope.“This is it!” he thought to himself, “This is how it all ends! Spare me the pain! Spare me the torture! I simply cannot take it anymore!” He suddenly wished the cat who caught him long ago had eaten him. He wanted to sit still to let the beast consume him, or let a child stomp him, reducing him to a bloody pulp, but found he could not stop his jegs from hopping. He could not give up just yet.
And lo and behold: his salvation: a crevice. It was a small crevice made from two pieces of wooden furniture. It was deep and dark, the perfect hiding spot. He stretched his legs as far and as quick as he could, resulting in the leap of a lifetime. He disappeared into the darkness.
Stubby human fingers stuck in after him, but could not reach him. The beast stuck his long snout in, but his slobbery tongue never licked him. With the booming voice on an adult human, all the kids, and the beast, turned away from him. They resumed talking amongst themselves. Warty never felt so relieved.
Hours passed by. Warty watched the kids play and laugh for many hours. It bored him profusely, but he did not dare coming out of his crevice. Not ever again. He decided he would spend the rest of his life there, hiding. His legs would never leap again, and his tongue would never snatch another bug. He’d lie dormant until he passed on. Eventually, the children stood in a line, and filed out of the room, taking the many cats, the long-eared creature, the other animals, and the monstrous beast with them. The lights went out, and the world turned as black as the shadows of his crevice. The door shut. He was completely alone. Still, he dared not to retreat from his hiding spot.
What felt to be eternities passed by. Warty shivered on the cold tile floor. His stomach craved for an insect of any kind. His eyes saw the same thing, opened or closed. He fell asleep, and woke up again. Nothing changed, other than his appetite growing more with every breath. He stayed put.
And then, a piercing light appeared, followed by heavy footsteps. Warty looked onward. Then he heard it. A voice. The voice. The voice that saved him so long ago. The voice of the old man. “I know yur in here, ‘ol buddy” it called. “Ya can come out from where you're hidin’. You're safe now.” Warty forgot all about his vow to himself never to retreat from the crevice. It all was gone in a rush of happiness. He sprang out with a joyful “Ribbit!” The old man turned his gaze on him, and chuckled incoherent words. He knelt down and scooped Warty up. In his hands also laid an unfortunate mealworm, who evaporated at the speed of light. Warty let out a happy croak. The old man laughed again, stroked his cold bumpy head, and placed him in his warm pocket. “C’mon ol’ feller”, he said. “Let’s go home.”
Warty could hardly catch his breath, and his throat was tightened in fear. His energy was running out, but he pressed on. “A log!” he croaked. He clambered inside the rotting tree trunk laying on its side. The long brown cat hesitated, but crammed its head into the log’s opening. Warty let out a croak of disbelief. “The cat can fit!” Warty looked around to find an escape route, but to no avail. “This is it!” he thought to himself, “This is how it all ends!” Soon, he felt the mighty beast’s fangs sink into his hind leg. He screeched in alarm and flailed helplessly. The cat has caught him. Fighting was hopeless. It drug warty out of the log, and began to run. Warty’s limp body hit every rock, stone, and stick the cat jumped over. “Just eat me already you nasty creature!” He rasped. “Spare me the pain! Spare me the torture! I simply cannot take it anymore!” The cat could not understand him. Warty felt the trickle of his own blood running down his bumpy skin. His head spun.
“Let that poor old toad go!” A gruff and raspy voice rang out. The cat stopped dead in its tracks. The voice continued to throw commands at the cat, until he felt the cat’s body quiver, and felt himself drop onto cold, hard stone. He tried his best to jump away, but he was exhausted, and his hind leg which the cat was latched onto was unable to move.
“Come ‘ere old feller” Warty heard the voice say, “Let’s take a look at you.” To his horror, a gigantic creature, far greater than the cat, loomed over him. He let out a terrified shriek as the creature's huge hands scooped him up. It was a human! Mother and Father Toad has always warned him as a tadpole to never come in contact with humans! He helplessly scooted around in the human’s hands in an attempt to escape. The hands grasped him tighter. Soon, Warty saw the creature's face: A aged, heavily-wrinkled, hairless, pale pink eyesore. The old man peered at him quizzically. “Ol’ Scrappy’s done a number on you, old feller!” He grumbled. “Just eat me!” Warty responded. The Old man could not understand him either. “Stop yer whinin’ it’ll be okay”, he said, and placed Warty in his jacket pocket. Warty was confused. “He placed me in a pouch!” He thought to himself, “What will this monster do to me?” Warty continued to hear the elder talk quietly to him, but the thick padded fabric blocked his words. He mustered up the strength to stick his head out of the pocket. He saw the incredible distance between him and the ground, and the long swift strides the elderly human took. He could see the whole world from the pocket: Grass, trees, stones, mudholes, and the thin brown cat, who looked small and insignificant from this vantage point. He let out a croak of awe.
The old man approached his lair: a tall stone box. He jostled a small bulging stone located on a wooden slab, and the slab was moved out of the way. (Door and doorknob) It was dark inside. The old man ran his finger across some odd shapes plastered to the wall, and to Warty’s utter surprise, Three miniature suns lit up! They were small, round, shockingly bright, and sunken into the box’s ceiling. Before Warty could react, He felt the old man drag him out of the pocket, and place him into a small wooden box. Warty looked up at the fleshy wrinkled beast. Was that sympathy shining in his giant eyes? Warty managed to drag himself to the corner of the box and cower in fear.
The strange man inspected Warty, and left the box. Warty was overcome with relief. “Now, I just need to find my way out of the box, and the humans’ lair, and I'll be on my way!” He grumbled to himself! He leaped, but his hind leg buckled up. He croaked in agony. The old man mumbled incoherent phrases from across the room. “He hears me!” Warty thought to himself, “I better keep quiet or he may come back!” Although Warty did not mutter a single ribbit, the elder returned. Warty felt his throat tighten in apprehension. To his dismay, he reached down to touch him. Warty jumped with all his might, and clumsily landed on the other side of his small wooden box. It did not help, for the old gruff human just slid his hand over to his new location.
On his index finger sat a large transparent clump of goo. It reached out to his bad leg. Warty shuffled wildly in fear, trying to move his leg out of reach. Suddenly, the cold gooey sap was applied to the open wound on his leg. It felt surprisingly good! It numbed the pain and soothed the throbbing. Warty stopped struggling and relished the feeling of the goo. “What is this stuff”, thought Warty, “Why did the human place it on me?” It certainly did not feel dangerous! Should he worry, should he try to jump away? He tried to flex his injured leg, and the searing pain returned. He decided then, since he did not appear to be in danger, to stay still. The old man chuckled quietly, grumbled a few words, then retreated. Warty stayed still.
Warty awoke as the hand picked him up. He let out an alarmed squawk. Did he fall asleep? How long has he been unconscious? Before he knew it, he was being lowered into another box. This one was large, shiny, and transparent. In the bottom was moss, a small container of water, and some stones and pebbles. It looked like home! His slimy webbed feet touched the soft damp moss. The human released his grip on him. Before warty could inspect his new box, the human lowered something else beside him: A wriggling mealworm! He instinctively shot out his moist pink tongue and captured the snack. He retracted his tongue and swallowed it whole. Delicious! “More!” He ribbited happily, “Give me more snacks!” “You like that little worm, don’t you ol’ feller?”, chimed in the old man. He was smiling happily at him. He reached into a small cylindrical container and picked up another worm. He tossed it in, and Warty caught it before the poor mealworm could even hit the bottom of the box.
After the elderly man finished feeding Warty all the mealworms he could eat, he left the box and disappeared outside his lair. Warty took a look around. He could jump again now, but his leg still aches when he moves it. He hopped atop the largest stone, and placed his web toes on a transparent wall. Outside, he saw a large box about the size of the one he was in currently. It read: “Glass Terrarium Amphibian Cage”. Warty did not understand a single word. Beside that was the cylinder with the mealworms. They were centered around a bag reading: “Pet Store”. Warty did not know what to make of this, so he turned himself around, leg aching slightly. He saw another miniature sun placed on a stick! How peculiar! It was lighting up small rectangles plastered on the wall. Warty studied them closely: Small gold-rimmed images, depicting a human inside. She appeared to be young; equivalent to a human tadpole. Warty did not like the mischievous looks on her face.
Hours later, Warty found himself being picked up again. He shivered a little, but did not try to leap away. “That leg’s lookin’ better lil’ froggy!” grumbled the old man. “You just needed some ointment and a good meal!” He stroked Warty's head. It felt good! Warty allowed the human to continue petting him. He continued to mumble about things Warty did not understand, and warty found himself getting tired. Soon the old man had a sleeping toad in his hands!
One week has passed. Warty had been living a pampered life inside his personal terrarium. His leg has healed completely. He ate an array of insects on a daily basis, and was often stroked and placed in the old man’s pocket. He enjoyed every minute of his new life. “Being caught by that cat was the best thing that has ever happened to me!” he thought to himself. “This human is great! Mother and Father Toad had it all wrong!”
One day, Warty saw a new human enter the old man’s lair, or as he calls it, his “house”. To Warty’s surprise, it was the small human Tadpole he saw pictured on the wall! She was only half the size as the old man, and had long hair atop her head, and a smooth, unwrinkled face. She spoke in a high pitched tone.
“Pappy” She squeaked. “Wanda!” He responded gruffly. “Whatta surprise to see ya ‘ere! How ya doing sweetie? How’s school?” The girl embraced the old man and said, “Good! But I need your help!”
“Is dat so, Sweetheart?”
“Yes! Tomorrow is “Pet Day” at school! As you know, I do not have pets, so can I borrow Scrappy?”
“Sure! If ya can catch ‘er!”
Warty saw the young human stretch out her arms towards the lanky brown cat. The cat stood up in alarm, arched her back and hissed. The girl did not understand her warning, and proceeded to pick her up. “Careful, Dear!” Interjected the old man. The cat hissed again, and flailed in her arm until she was able to wiggle out of the child’s grip. The cat ran and the child followed. She bumped into various pieces of furniture placed about the house. Warty grew apprehensive and crawled into the shadow of a stone. Eventually, the cat flew out the door at lightning speed, and disappeared into the forest undergrowth outside.
“Scraaaaaappppy!” Yelled the child. The old man placed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s ‘kay, Honey, Just let ‘er go.” She responded, “But what about Pet Day, Pappy?” The Elder thought, then smiled. “I think I know the guy for the job!”
Next thing Warty knew, he was being lifted up out of the terrarium. He was relieved to see it was the old man and not the child. The old man stroked his head, then lowered him down so the child could see him. Warty saw bright blue eyes staring at him, glistening with excitement. He stood still, in fear.
“This here, see, is me old toad”, Rasped the elder. “Saved ‘em from Ol’ Scrappy a while back.” “Wooaaah!” Chirped the child. “Is he slimy? Can I hold him?” “Sure!” Replied the old man.”And he ain’t too slimy, either”. His words dissolved into a hearty chuckle as he passed Warty into the hands of the child. Warty was a bit afraid, but considering the old man was kind, maybe the child would be also! She might even pat his head or give him a mealworm!
Warty greeted her with a triumphant croak. “Eeeep!” She squealed. She threw up her hands in alarm and dropped Warty. Splat! Shocked, and dazed, Warty let out an inaudible moan. “Careful, Sweetheart!” shouted the old man. “He’s soft and fragile! Handle ‘em like a baby bunny!”
The old man scooped him up again, and placed him back in the child’s hands. She stared at him uneasily, then ran her finger down his back. “He’s really bumpy!” She giggled. The old man laughed again. “Quite an odd lookin’ feller ain’t he? “Yeah!” she replied happily, “He’s kinda gross, but he’s also kinda cute!” Warty let out an absent-minded croak. She flinched a little, then giggled and patted his head. “Well that settles it!”, declared the elder. “The ol’ toad ‘ill attend Pet Day!”
The very next day, Warty found himself in an old container of cottage cheese. A blanket of grass and assorted man-made objects Warty did not recognize sat in the bottom, and air holes were poked in the lid. He was frightened. The walls of the container were unnatural and claustrophobic, and the ceiling only inches above his head. He tried to jump against the lid, but it did not budge. “Croooooak!” he called, hoping the old man would hear him and set him free. “Croak! Croak! Croooak!” Silence. He shifted himself around in the container. He touched the slick sides of the white container with his webbed toes, and tried to look out of the air holes. He certainly did not appreciate his current whereabouts, and wished to be removed soon.
Warty was about to doze off to sleep, when he felt the container be picked up. He let out a croak of alarm. It was responded with a soft and feminine giggle. “The human tadpole!” thought Warty, “She’s put me into this little cage, and is picking it up!” It rocked back and forth as the tiny human skipped through the outside world. “Froggy! Froggy! Time to go Mr. Froggy!” the child yelled excitedly. The cage shook. Warty was jostled about the cage, and his soft head hit the ceiling multiple times. He let a furious croak of annoyance. The container continued to be tossed around for several long minutes. Suddenly, the outer world erupted in a caterwaul of ear-splitting ruckus. Human voices everywhere! Warty heard one squeaky voice say: “Wanda! Wanda! Do you have a pet, Wanda? Why do you have a container of cottage cheese?” The child responded: “My pets inside this container! Come and see!”
Just then, The lid was pulled back. To his surprise, an assembly of young human tadpoles stared down at him, eyes wide.
“What is that thing?”
“Is that a lizard?”
“No Jimmy, you doofus, it’s a toad!”
“Oh yeah, Kevie? How can you tell?”
“It’s fat, ugly, and bloated!”
The human tadpoles burst in obnoxious laughter. Water droplets sprayed from their mouths. The one child, who’s name appeared to be “Wanda”, looked uncomfortable. Warty did not care how she felt, he just wanted to go back to the terrarium. “Take me home!” he cried. “I don’t like it here!” “Where’s the old man?” Just then, Wanda gripped him furiously, and lifted him up out of the container.
What Warty saw horrified him: An abundance of Human tadpoles, cats, and all other various animals Warty did not recognize. They All had their eyes on him as Wanda held him over her head. The cats stared at him with hungry and mischievously playful gazes. A fluffy long-eared creature locked it’s beady eyes on him.
Then, Warty saw it.The beast took Warty’s breath away. It was a giant, furry, brown and white, slobbing, stinking monster. It was much larger than the largest cat he’s ever seen. It’s tail beat back and forth wildly. It’s massive jaws were parted, showing fangs and a lolling tongue. The beast’s eyes stared directly at him, and let out a thunderous “Woof!”
Warty wildly flailed in Wanda’s grip. He broke free, landing right on top of Wanda's head! The children erupted in furious, hysterical laughter. They howled in delight. This terrified Warty even more. He took a massive leap off her head, and back into the cottage cheese container. “What a stupid pet!” a child laughed. “Wanda always does such stupid things!” At this point, Wanda appeared to be fuming with embarrassed anger. Her head was a fiery red hue. She, once again, picked up Warty in a desperate attempt to redeem her popularity. She held him up again and shook him in the air, screeching words Warty could not make out. The furry beast stared at him intensely, and performed a playful stance, tail waving like a flag. “Woof! WOOOF!” Warty thrashed against Wanda’s fearsome grip. He broke free. He landed on the floor with a weakly “thud”, much like the time she first threw him. Before Warty could even get to his feet, he saw the beast charge directly at him. He heard the children scream. He leapt with all his might. He landed in front of a child. “EW!” she screamed! And tried to stomp him. Warty leapt again, and again.
It was utter chaos. Human tadpoles laughed, screamed, and chased him. Their heavy steps nearly crushed him. Cats hissed and other animals screeched. On top of it all, the beast wildly sprinted towards him with gaping jaws dripping saliva everywhere. Jump, screaming children, jump, parted jaws, jump, jump, jump.
For what seemed like hours, he leapt from object to object, all of which he could not recognize. He was running out of energy, out of breath, out of hope.“This is it!” he thought to himself, “This is how it all ends! Spare me the pain! Spare me the torture! I simply cannot take it anymore!” He suddenly wished the cat who caught him long ago had eaten him. He wanted to sit still to let the beast consume him, or let a child stomp him, reducing him to a bloody pulp, but found he could not stop his jegs from hopping. He could not give up just yet.
And lo and behold: his salvation: a crevice. It was a small crevice made from two pieces of wooden furniture. It was deep and dark, the perfect hiding spot. He stretched his legs as far and as quick as he could, resulting in the leap of a lifetime. He disappeared into the darkness.
Stubby human fingers stuck in after him, but could not reach him. The beast stuck his long snout in, but his slobbery tongue never licked him. With the booming voice on an adult human, all the kids, and the beast, turned away from him. They resumed talking amongst themselves. Warty never felt so relieved.
Hours passed by. Warty watched the kids play and laugh for many hours. It bored him profusely, but he did not dare coming out of his crevice. Not ever again. He decided he would spend the rest of his life there, hiding. His legs would never leap again, and his tongue would never snatch another bug. He’d lie dormant until he passed on. Eventually, the children stood in a line, and filed out of the room, taking the many cats, the long-eared creature, the other animals, and the monstrous beast with them. The lights went out, and the world turned as black as the shadows of his crevice. The door shut. He was completely alone. Still, he dared not to retreat from his hiding spot.
What felt to be eternities passed by. Warty shivered on the cold tile floor. His stomach craved for an insect of any kind. His eyes saw the same thing, opened or closed. He fell asleep, and woke up again. Nothing changed, other than his appetite growing more with every breath. He stayed put.
And then, a piercing light appeared, followed by heavy footsteps. Warty looked onward. Then he heard it. A voice. The voice. The voice that saved him so long ago. The voice of the old man. “I know yur in here, ‘ol buddy” it called. “Ya can come out from where you're hidin’. You're safe now.” Warty forgot all about his vow to himself never to retreat from the crevice. It all was gone in a rush of happiness. He sprang out with a joyful “Ribbit!” The old man turned his gaze on him, and chuckled incoherent words. He knelt down and scooped Warty up. In his hands also laid an unfortunate mealworm, who evaporated at the speed of light. Warty let out a happy croak. The old man laughed again, stroked his cold bumpy head, and placed him in his warm pocket. “C’mon ol’ feller”, he said. “Let’s go home.”