This story begins about a year or two before Lewis met Wilber . . . and starts with Franny and her best friend. I'd always wondered what gave Franny the Idea to teach frogs to sing, and the answer is Clare Carter.
Clare took a hold on Franny's hand, pulling her through the house toward the backyard. "Come on, Girlfriend, let's go!"
Franny laughed, letting herself be dragged by her eccentric best friend. It was a Saturday night in late fall, when it was just the right temperature to go prancing around at night. Clare was two years older then Franny, making her eleven. She had short brown hair that no amount of combing could ever tame, and light pale skin.
"I'm coming Clare, slow down!" Franny said, running down the back steps carefully in her sandals and skirt. Clare giggled, pulling her into the small lake that took up most of the younger girl's backyard. Clare flopped down into the grass onto her back and staring at the dark sky. Franny tilted her head at her friend, then shook her head with a smile. She sat down facing away from Clare so that when she laid down their heads were next to each other. The two girls looked at the stars for a while, until Franny heard a strange croaking coming from the lake. She frowned.
"Stupid frogs," She sighed. "They're so annoying!"
Clare tilted her head back to look at her younger friend. "Why do you say that?"
"The noises they make . . . I can never sleep when I've got my window open at night!"
Clare was silent a moment, before she chuckled. "I don't think they're trying to annoy you Franny, maybe they just like to sing."
Franny scoffed. "The day frogs sing is the day when people travel around in bubbles!"
Clare laughed at the silly statement. "But it's true kid, Frogs have more musical ability then people!"
"You're full of it!"
"Yeah, it's called blood."
Franny sat up and got on her hands and knees, hovering above her friend. "Come on, Clare, I know you like to believe in weird things, but Singing Frogs?" Franny rolled her eyes.
Clare looked at her friend and sighed. "Oh, Franny . . . one of these days you're gonna realize how big the world is . . . you're gonna see some really crazy things in your lifetime . . . so why not singing frogs?"
Franny shook her head. "Clare, you're crazy!"
The older girl just grinned. "Like you're one to talk."
Thwack!
"OW! Franny!!"
Franny got up off the ground and helped her tomboy friend stand. Clare rubbed the spot Franny had hit her.
"Come on, Mom said she got ice cream!"
"You said the magic words!" Clare laughed, running after her friend.
---
"It was my childhood . . . when everything was alright . . . when everything was perfect. When life was easy, when it always seemed to have a silver lining.
When did it have to go wrong?"
---
"Clare! Clare! Guess what?!"
A twelve year old Clare turned away from her homework and smiled at her friend. "Yeah, Franny? What's up?"
Franny giggled, glomping her older friend. "Come on, let's go to the park! I think Frankie needs some fresh air!"
Clare smirked at the mention of her friend's beloved pet frog. She sighed and shook her head. "I gotta do homework, Kiddo, maybe later."
Franny frowned, sticking out her lower lip in a pout. "But- but- but- . . . !"
Clare sighed, running her hand through her short, spiky brown hair that had splotches of blue all around it randomly. It was the reminance of her father spilling an entire bucket of paint onto her head.
"I want to go, kid, but," She glared accusingly at her mathbook as if it was it's fault.
"You can come back to it later!" Franny yelled, grabbing her friend's arm. "?!?"
Clare looked back at her textbooks, then sighed.
"Alright, alright. I'll come."
---
"All I wanted was to see her smile again.
After her mom got sick, she wasn't around much anymore. I was only trying to help . . .
But that's what everybody seems to say, isn't it?"
---
"Kiddo? I think we should head home now . . . " Clare said, squinting up at the sky.
Franny wined. "Aw, Clare, we only just got here!"
"Yeah, but-"
"Ooh! Ice Cream! Come on Clare!!"
Clare sighed. "Alright, alright,"
---
"Just as simple as that. I wanted Ice Cream. She agreed. I should have realized it was getting late, but I couldn't seem to understand.
I was just a kid . . . I didn't get how important this test was to her.
We were both so young . . . "
---
Clare grabbed the back of Franny's dress as she was about to run across the street. She pulled the younger girl back and held both her arms. "Are you crazy?" She hissed. "You're supposed to wait until there aren't any cars coming before you cross the street!!"
Franny blinked, then looked down. "Sorry . . . " She scuffed the sidewalk with the toe of her shoe.
"You should be," Clare shook her head, holding out her hand. "Now hold my hand, come on,"
Franny nodded and held her friend's hand as the older girl looked back and forth.
---
"She did it to protect me. I didn't understand that then . . . I thought she was just using her higher authority over me to make me do what she said . . . because she was older . . .
I didn't realize she was just trying to protect me . . . "
---
Clare heard it before she saw it.
She spun around so fast, something in her neck snapped.
The car-- it was making a beeline down the road.
Right at them.
Right at Franny.
---
"I heard her scream my name. It all happened so fast, my head was spinning.
So many things happened at once, I couldn't catch up . . . "
---
Clare felt her legs move before her head knew exactly what was going on.
She ran forward, planting both her hands on the younger girl's back. With a firm shove, Franny was sent tumbling to the concrete.
She sat back up to yell at Clare, but then her eyes widened.
The car, a blue Toyoda, hit the girl head on. She was flung backwards, her body slamming into the street with a sickening thud and crack.
Franny scrambled to her feet and ran toward her friend, who was laying crumpled in unnatural angles. A puddle of blood was growing around her.
"Clare?! Clare?!?! Can you hear me?! Clarey?!"
---
"She was so young . . . she was only twelve . . . she only wanted to buy me Ice Cream . . .
She was my best friend."
---
" . . . Franny?"
The pigtailed girl nodded her head vigorously. "Yes, yes Clare it's me! You're gonna be okay!! Mr. Issac called 911!!"
Clare grinned weakly. "Franny . . . I got something to tell you . . . "
Franny nodded.
There were people everywhere. They were crowded around Clare, everybody wanting to know the same thing.
"Is she alright?!"
"Has someone called an ambulance?!"
"Hang on kid!! Hang on!!"
Clare ignored all of them, keeping her weak smile on Franny. "Kiddo . . . them frogs . . . them frogs of yours . . . "
"Yeah?" Franny said, tears running down her face.
Clare reached up with a shaking hand, wiping them away from her cheeks.
"Just you wait girlfriend . . . them frogs is gonna sing for you . . . "
Franny blinked at her happy friend. Her body was broken and bleeding . . . yet even as she was dieing, Clare was still able to be optimistic.
"Them frogs is gonna sing for you . . . I promise . . . them frogs are gonna sing . . . "
---
Franny sat on the edge of her bed, wearing her favorite pare of plumb purple pajamas about twenty years after that day. Her black hair was let loose around her head, the family cowlick still in place. Her husband sat on his knees in front of her, holding her hands in his.
"Oh, . . . Oh Cornelius . . . I miss her . . . I miss her so much!!" Franny sobbed.
Cornelius Robinson took his wife into his arms, rubbing her back soothingly. "I know, baby," He whispered. "I know . . . "
Outside, each sob that escaped his mother felt like a knife dragged across Wilber Robinson's chest. He glanced into the room, watching his father embrace his mother. Wilber clenched his fist, then broke into a run. Every year was like this . . . the only day of the year his mother ever cried.
June 11th . . . twenty years ago.
That date kept slipping though his mind. Over and over and over again . . .
As Wilber jumped into the time machine, he came to a decision.
His mother would never cry again.
Well? How was it? Please review if you think I should continue! ^_^
