The frog woke up to a bumpy ride. His vision took longer than usual to clear because it kept jumping up and down. Through his groggy thoughts he remembered that he was on top of a hyperactive little boy, who was currently hopping and skipping through the woods. A merry tune played in the frog's ear, Greg's tune. The frog grinned down at him. For his age, Greg wasn't a bad songwriter. He had effective use of rhythm and rhyme, and the tune overall was quite catchy. Maybe they could even start a band together. Though, that'll have to wait. Plus, it was a little uncomfortable riding Greg when he's bouncing around, so the frog jumped off from the tea kettle. Greg didn't seem too bothered and continued on with his song.
"...Adelaide! To Adelaide!..."
The frog was even tempted to sing along, but stopped short of embarrassing himself. He bet even Greg would be startled by his horrible frog voice. It was a shame, though, because no one else in the group was interested in singing along with Greg.
"...Adelaide! To Adelaide! Let's go to Adelaide's house."
The frog grimaced. The song immediately turned sour with its ending. No, it wasn't even an ending. It sounded like it stopped mid-line. The song had so much potential, it can't be wasted like that.
It was no wonder when the frog breathed a huge sigh of relief when Greg took note of his error and remarked that he'd fix it. Then, he tried to organize the group - excluding the frog, he sadly noted - to sing the song with him.
Of course, they both rejected the idea candidly, the bird especially by outright forbidding singing. That bird just loved unintentionally annoying the frog, does she? As Greg picked the frog back up, the frog glared daggers at her. As usual, she ignored him, too busy ushering the brother's slowing pace and discouraging Greg's talent. Whatever, the frog'll give her a piece of his mind one day.
After telling the brother to quicken his pace once again, the bird turned to Greg to resume her reprimanding. Though, this time, instead of telling Greg to simply be quiet, she pulled the sibling card, saying that Greg should be more like his brother. Okay, not exactly the sibling card, because a "pathetic pushover" doesn't sound like much of an example to follow, and the brother had the same thought. But the bird brushed him aside, in a way proving the brother's weak will.
Greg regarded the bird's words reluctantly, saying that it wasn't fun. Yes, that's the way to go. The bird knows nothing about music and its beauty. Again, the bird shot him down.
"The world is a miserable place, Greg. Life isn't fun."
Well, life wasn't entirely fun, but it was boring walking in silence. Let the kid have his fun.
Greg breathed deeply.
"Then I'll do what I need to do, I guess."
He placed the frog on top of his tea kettle, and then, when his brother and the bird weren't looking, he stole off deeper into the woods.
"We have to do our part to make the world a better place!" Greg declared.
"Or we can just make the bird submit to us," the frog replied. Of course, Greg could not understand frog language, so he just agreed.
Not long after, hearing the chime of a bell, the two came upon a clearing. A red, wooden schoolhouse stood in the middle of the clearing. Greg scoffed. Obviously, he did not find school enjoyable, and he ran back into the woods.
He didn't go far before hearing his brother calling out for him.
"I'm here, Wirt!."
There was no response, so Greg instead followed his brother's voice back into the clearing. He made a face, but walked towards the schoolhouse to check if his brother was there. Greg set the frog down, and peered in a window. The frog watched as Greg pointed into the window and made a thumbs down sign. Was school really that bad? If humans hated it so much, then why did they continue to use the method? Then again, was Greg like the other humans? Maybe he was like the frog, having interests that other frogs deemed weird.
Suddenly, something caught his eye. Under the schoolhouse, something was moving in the darkness. Could it be a predator? The frog croaked out in alarm, and hopped as far away as he could from the schoolhouse. The croak caught Greg's attention, and he followed the frog laughing and eager to do whatever fun thing the frog was inviting him to do.
The frog hopped and hopped as fast as he can until he was at the edge of the woods, turning around to see if the animal had come out and pouncing with-
Oh, it was just a rodent. Well then, he guessed he might as well go back and-
He heard a loud rustling behind him.
Trembling, he turned his head to see what was behind him: the face of a raccoon.
The frog croaked in alarm, and he leaped towards Greg, who was still catching up to him. Greg sensed his fear, and he quickly scooped him up.
"What's the matter?"
Greg looked towards the direction that the frog had come from. The raccoon, who was wearing blue, torn overalls, had come out of the bush it was hiding in and was cautiously creeping towards the two.
"Oh, hi there! It's okay, I won't tell on you for skipping school. That place stinks, anyway."
The words only encouraged the raccoon to walk faster towards them, and the frog tried to shrink deeper into Greg's arms. Don't be nice to it!
The raccoon came up to Greg's side, and Greg stroked it gently and giggled. The raccoon, who hopefully didn't notice the frog yet, relaxed, and it called into the woods.
Suddenly, a deer burst through the trees and came to a stop in front of them. It grunted at the raccoon while taking nervous glances at Greg. The raccoon, on the other hand, replied calmly and reassuringly. The deer, instead of calming down, became more agitated and started to stomp on the ground furiously. This prompted the raccoon to respond more angrily. The two began to argue in front of Greg and the frog. It seemed like a full blown fight might have come between them had a loud squeaking not interrupted the two. The rodent from earlier had made its way to the group and was hanging down from a tree between the two.
The frog, who had forgotten about his fear, watched the scene in interest. As the rodent squeaked, or, to be more precise, harshly scolded the other two animals, the raccoon and the deer shrank into submission. It then finished off its lecture with a glare that, if looks could kill, would have ended the world right then and there. The frog could feel his fear return, but not for the raccoon this time. Even Greg was looking down at his feet, as if he had done something wrong and was caught red-handed.
A long, deadly silence followed, with the rodent daring the raccoon and the deer, and possibly Greg and the frog, to speak up. Finally, Greg decided to be the brave one to break the ice, uncharacteristically timid at first, and then quickly gaining the familiar confidence he always had.
"Sooo… did you know that if you put a dog outside in the sun during the summer, it becomes a hot dog? It's a rock fact!"
And with that, the tension subsided. The three animals crowded over Greg and started to chatter at him excitedly. They were apparently very interested in Greg's great wisdom. The frog, having heard Greg talk about "rock facts" while on their journey, was a little confused deep interest the animals held. They weren't even true. Now, if Greg had sang one of his songs, then the frog would understand.
Greg, boosted by his newfound popularity, held up his hand as if to silence the animals. It worked. They were completely silent. The frog could feel the confidence radiating off of Greg's body.
Greg sat on a fallen tree trunk, and the animals and the frog followed suit. The frog made sure that he sat on the side away from the raccoon.
"So my theory is, hot dogs are not actually dogs. Regardless of what they teach at school," Greg explained. Then, he smiled at the animals, "But you guys don't go to school, huh?"
He leaned in and whispered to them, "I'm gonna stick with you guys."
None of them answered, as if they did not dare to disrespect Greg's authority. He didn't seem to mind, though, and he laughed as the raccoon picked up a nearby black turtle and threw it into the pond.
"Hey, I got an idea! Let's play two old cat! Do you guys know how to play two old cat?"
He looked around. Again, no one answered, not even the frog, though he didn't because he had never heard of the game before. He knew some human games, like baseball, but "two old cat" did not ring a bell.
Greg offered to teach it. He walked towards the schoolhouse and pulled out an old cat from underneath the boards.
"Here's one old cat."
The deer was the first one to try it. It pulled another old cat from the the grass.
"You found another one!" Greg eagerly walked over to it, then frowned, "Wait, no. I think that cat is too old."
The cat meowed sadly, and Greg apologized to it. It looked at the group pitifully, as if it really wanted to join the game. The raccoon consoled it, pouring milk for it to lap. The frog was even tempted to catch a fly for it to eat.
Meanwhile, Greg was still searching for old cats. He pointed to a bush behind the rodent - or Jeffrey, as Greg called him. The bush was rustling pretty violently, with heavy breathing noises coming out of it. The rodent walked over to check.
A wailing gorilla burst through the leaves. The frog, alarmed by the noise (and the gorilla's ugly face) fled the scene as the gorilla let out another loud wail. He was not going to deal with that. Everyone else had the same idea.
The gorilla chased them down.
The group ran into a wall, and the animals all climbed up the schoolhouse to get as far away from the gorilla as possible. The frog climbed into Greg's tea kettle as Greg joined the animals in frantically scrambling up the schoolhouse walls. The frog hoped Greg didn't climb too high.
Suddenly, Greg's body began to swing haphazardly, and the frog was thrown around inside the kettle while a loud ringing of a bell was heard amongst Greg's shouting of "Gorilla!". Ugh, don't tell him they all climbed onto the bell of the schoolhouse. That was way too high for his own comfort. Now how was he able to jump to safety?
The frog, after finally balancing himself, peaked out of the tea kettle. He looked towards the ground. The gorilla was still running towards them. It was a lot slower than the frog had initially thought, but it-
He was thrown back into the darkness of the tea kettle. The frog managed to cling onto Greg's hair before the noon light intruded his eyes.
The bell had flung everyone off with its momentum, and the tea kettle had flown off Greg's head, but the frog clung to Greg's head with as much power as he could, not wanting to fall to his death. Miraculously, the entire group fell on the gorilla, creating a soft landing.
This feeling of safety lasted only a second, however, as the gorilla quickly got up, throwing them off, and released a louder roar. Greg picked up his tea kettle hat as the frog hopped into it while the other animals took off.
In the bumpy darkness of the kettle, the only thing the frog could hear were the intense roars of the gorilla and Greg's frantic panting. Suddenly, the movement came to a stop. Not soon after, the wailings stopped abruptly as well.
"We did it, guys! We beat the gorilla!"
The frog hopped out of the kettle and onto the ground. The gorilla was lying on the grass, unconscious. The frog looked to the hanging rodent, a heavy stick was in its hands.
Greg put one foot on the gorilla, and put his hands on his hips, triumphantly posing. The raccoon and the deer clapped and cheered, though the rodent looked a little miffed as it crawled back to the ground. The frog patted its back.
"There, there. I know you worked hard for us, little rodent."
The rodent smiled at the frog, appreciating the consolation.
The frog opened its mouth, ready to say more when another roar pierced the sky, and the next thing he knew, everyone was again running from the gorilla's grasps.
Greg led the way, leading the group into the safety of the schoolhouse. They all ran into the dining room where the rest of the class was as the teacher shut the door to the outside, locking out the gorilla.
"Now, now children. You know the drill, be quiet and sit down while I distribute your meals."
The animals, Greg, and the frog all found their seats in the room. The frog could hear his own stomach growl. He looked at the meal: mashed potatoes. His growling subsided a little. He eyed the plate cautiously, then edged towards Greg, who was sitting next to him. Maybe he'll just catch some insects later. The frog would rather not eat something unfamiliar that might be detrimental to his health, plus he wanted to eat something crunchy. For now, he'll just enjoy the piano music.
Speaking of which, he looked over his shoulder at the piano the schoolteacher was playing. This was the first time he had ever seen a real life piano up close. Pianos have always fascinated him. The sounds were even better than when he heard them afar by his wall.
"Oh boy! Meal time! This is way better than being chased by a gorilla!" Greg exclaimed happily as he scooped up the mashed potato placed in front of him.
The rodent took a bite out of the mashed potatoes, and it immediately sulked, discouraging the frog's already dwindling appetite for potatoes.
"Aw, boy, what's the matter?" Greg asked, worried. He took a bite out of his own plate. He frowned, "Hmm, kinda bland."
The frog followed Greg's gaze. There certainly was a sullen atmosphere in the room. All the animals were looking at their food wearily, none of them touching it.
Then, his eyes went to the piano and landed on the jar of molasses sitting on top of it. He immediately lit up.
"Hey! I know what to do!"
He walked over to the schoolteacher.
"Here, Ms. Langtree, play something like this!"
The frog winced as Greg pounded on the piano, creating a cacophony of noises. Greg could consider piano lessons. The frog was impressed when the teacher was able to turn that mess into a coherent melody.
Meanwhile, Greg grabbed the molasses jar and broke out into song while pouring molasses in everyone's potatoes.
"Oh potatoes and molasses
If you want some, oh just ask us
It's warm as soft like puppies in socks
Filled with cream and candy rocks!"
Almost immediately, the whole room was filled with music and joy. Animals were happily chowing down on their food and waving their spoons in rhythm with Greg's song. Even the brother, who was usually a gloomy mess, was tapping his glass in tune with the music. The frog himself preferred to just sit there and enjoy the beauty of it, not wanting to disturb -and where did those instruments come from?
"For potatoes and molasses!
For potatoes and-"
"That's enough!"
A large, bespectacled man in a trench coat and top hat had burst through the door.
"Is this what I've been paying for?!" He said, dragging out his words.
"Hey! We just wanted to have a little fun," Greg answered back.
"I didn't invest in this school for fun!" The man turned to the teacher, " I thought we were doing important work here, teaching animals how to count and spell."
The frog looked around. None of the animals here seemed to know how to do that. Most of them don't even seem like they can wear clothing properly.
"Oh please, father! Don't close the school. It won't happen again."
"I should say it won't."
He walked over to the animals and confiscated their instruments.
"Now send them to bed!"
And so, everyone, including Greg and his brother, got into their nightgowns and were sent off to bed. Greg picked up the frog and set him beside him on the bed. Then, he placed his head in his hands, eyes pondering.
"I just wanted to have fun, change the world and… make it a better place, but I just made everything worse," Greg sighed.
"Don't be so hard on yourself," the frog croaked out. It really wasn't his fault. Greg was right. School was a bad place.
He looked to the bed next to him. The bird and Greg's brother were having another skirmish as usual. With the brother declaring that he'll "never give up" on something.
As soon as the brother declared that he would "never give up", Greg's mood lifted. There really was nothing that can keep this kid down.
"Come on, Wirt. Let's go save the day!"
They changed out of their nightgowns and climbed through an open window.
"So what's the plan, Greg?" The brother asked as they walked through the dark.
And with that, Greg was stumped. Well, they could always improvise with...whatever they were doing. Suddenly, a cry of despair came out from a nearby bush.
"Who would have thought that making a primary school for animals was a bad idea."
They all walked towards the source of the voice.
"My savings, my home! All of it went into that dear, dear school, and now I'm forced to sell these instruments, just to keep the school open. D'oh!..."
And on he went, lamenting about his troubles. He took off his trenchcoat, revealing a man much skinnier than his initial appearance. Not soon after, he fell asleep under his coat.
"Okay, I think he's asleep," Greg whispered, "Let's go steal his stuff."
Well, this was an interesting turn of events. Greg never struck the frog as someone who wanted to steal.
"Wake up," the frog ribbited exasperatedly at the rodent.
After the fifth attempt, the rodent finally managed to open his eyes. It let out an annoyed squeak.
"Took you long enough," the frog croaked, rolling his eyes. The rodent was the last one to wake, and boy did it take a long time. No matter, just give him the guitar and let it do the work. There's really no need for an explanation.
Greg led the rodent out to the stage, where a crowd had gathered, due to invitations being handed out prior. He pointed to a seat with a guitar sitting next to it. The rodent, a little confused, walked over to it. It looked at the sheet music that sat in front of him.
Greg stood in front of the animals, holding a conductor's baton.
"And a one, a two, a one, two, three, four!"
The music started out a little rough at first, since the animals had just been abruptly woken up to play for a surprise benefit concert, but their inner talent shown, and soon enough, their music started to gain interest from the crowd. The audience eagerly threw coins for more after each song.
The frog sat in front of the stage, looking rather out of place. He resisted the urge to sing along with the music. He still had a frog's voice.
Suddenly, the familiar roar of a gorilla interrupted the concert.
Everyone looked on in terror as it towered over the schoolteacher. The frog couldn't hear what the headmaster said over the gorilla's wails, but the next thing he knew, the older brother had fallen on the gorilla, and its head flew off, revealing a young man inside.
So it was a costume, that explained why the gorilla was so ugly.
The man revealed was actually someone who had supposedly left the schoolteacher, according to what the brother had explained last night.
The man explained the reason for his disappearance to his lover: he had gotten a job to pay for a wedding ring, but he couldn't get out of the gorilla suit. Everyone cheered as the teacher, tearful, embraced her lover, and the two reconciled their love.
As a finale, Greg sang his "Potatoes and Molasses" song. The frog looked on as the animals played their instruments, and a small hope budded in him. If these animals could potentially have a career in music, maybe he can, too.
A/N: Hey guys! Hoped you enjoyed this chapter. We're slowly getting to the juicy stuff. :D