"Dev?" Spring called out for her friend. Dev was there in a heartbeat.
They had been meeting by the river for close to a month now and their
friendship had grown into something true and strong.
Spring had come to see more in the frog like man then before. He may have a scary face, but he had a wonderful heart. Spring laughed about the things she did to Daisy, and Dev always seemed to think it was funny.
"What gave you the snake idea?" Dev asked as Spring tried for the fourth time to climb the tree to the branch Dev sat on.
"Huh? Ohh, been doing that since I was six, don't remember where it was I got it." She said dropping down from the first branch again. She thought back to try to remember again where it was she found the idea but it seemed to cloud over. "How is it you climb so high?"
"I just do, ladies shouldn't climb anyways." he said climbing down to be next to Spring.
"So you've told me. How is it you know what ladies or princesses do or don't do?"
"I've known several in my years." Dev said smiling with a remembering look in his eyes.
"Did you speak to them?" Dev stopped smiling.
"No lady wants to speak to something like me." He looked down at his froggie hands. "I would scare them like I scared you."
"You only scared me because it was dark and I couldn't see how sweet you were!" Spring said smiling and leaned over and kissed Dev gently on the cheek. He looked up at her, almost as if he expected something, then smiled big and playful rubbed dirt on her cheek.
"Hey Dev," Spring asked wiping her cheek then looking down at the dirt she wiped off. "Where you...you know... always like this?"
Dev smiled for a moment then shook his head.
"No, once I was lonely, now I have you." Spring looked up but did not smile back.
"You know what I meant."
Dev sighed and leaned against the trunk of the tree. His face looked angry.
"Was I always ugly and scary?" he asked sarcastically rude.
"No! That's not what I meant and you know it!"
"Well what did you mean then, child."
The word child, he had to use it! Spring felt anger build in her own stomach.
"I am not a child, Dev. I asked you a simple question, why be so rude to me?"
"Because, it is something I don't want to talk about! Cant you just figure that out or do I have to tell you like I would a stubborn child?"
"I am a woman, Frog! Not a child!" Spring snapped back. "How dare you I am a... I am a princess." Spring winced at her title, but she wanted him to be nice to her again.
"You are no Princess." Dev said softly. "You are a simple common girl!"
"You sure do like spending time with this simple girl don't you, Frog!"
"And you with this Frog! I only promised to be your friend because you looked like you needed one. Don't think I need you as well!"
Spring took a deep breath and try to hold back the tears. He was right, she had needed him...
"Just go then you dumb frog! Go back to your pond and I will be fine here! I don't need you! Or Angel! Or anyone!" Spring let the tears of her rage fall and she turned and ran towards the castle once more, leaving Dev to think about what it was he had just done, and said to his only friend.
Daisy sat in the gardens and picked one of the flowers that she was named after, it was truly as beautiful as she. When she saw Spring walking from the woods an evil smile formed on her face and she walked towards the common girl.
"Out playing with your imaginary friends again?"
"At least I have some, even your imaginary friends run from you in fright." Spring said feeling the anger return. She had stopped being angry and had started feeling more hurt as she ran off towards the castle. Soon she had slowed into a walk and slumped and felt sick and sad. Now she had new rage forming and Daisy was an easy target to release it on.
"Why you damn excuse for a child!" Daisy said in a harsh whisper. "I am everything your not, and everything you want to be. Look at me and look at you. I am beautiful, who wouldn't want to be my friend? I even have men lined up to marry me while you stand in the woods like the dogs! You are nothing but a simple common girl!"
Spring opened her mouth to speak but nothing came through. That was what Dev called her, simple and common. The two words went over and over in her head. Why did she have to ask the question? She didn't know it would hurt him so bad, and she didn't understand what it was he actually was.
New tears formed in Springs eyes but she tried to push them back, she looked up once more at Daisy. A glare that made Daisy step back a step, then Spring lifted her head and walked, simple and common like, to her room.
Spring had come to see more in the frog like man then before. He may have a scary face, but he had a wonderful heart. Spring laughed about the things she did to Daisy, and Dev always seemed to think it was funny.
"What gave you the snake idea?" Dev asked as Spring tried for the fourth time to climb the tree to the branch Dev sat on.
"Huh? Ohh, been doing that since I was six, don't remember where it was I got it." She said dropping down from the first branch again. She thought back to try to remember again where it was she found the idea but it seemed to cloud over. "How is it you climb so high?"
"I just do, ladies shouldn't climb anyways." he said climbing down to be next to Spring.
"So you've told me. How is it you know what ladies or princesses do or don't do?"
"I've known several in my years." Dev said smiling with a remembering look in his eyes.
"Did you speak to them?" Dev stopped smiling.
"No lady wants to speak to something like me." He looked down at his froggie hands. "I would scare them like I scared you."
"You only scared me because it was dark and I couldn't see how sweet you were!" Spring said smiling and leaned over and kissed Dev gently on the cheek. He looked up at her, almost as if he expected something, then smiled big and playful rubbed dirt on her cheek.
"Hey Dev," Spring asked wiping her cheek then looking down at the dirt she wiped off. "Where you...you know... always like this?"
Dev smiled for a moment then shook his head.
"No, once I was lonely, now I have you." Spring looked up but did not smile back.
"You know what I meant."
Dev sighed and leaned against the trunk of the tree. His face looked angry.
"Was I always ugly and scary?" he asked sarcastically rude.
"No! That's not what I meant and you know it!"
"Well what did you mean then, child."
The word child, he had to use it! Spring felt anger build in her own stomach.
"I am not a child, Dev. I asked you a simple question, why be so rude to me?"
"Because, it is something I don't want to talk about! Cant you just figure that out or do I have to tell you like I would a stubborn child?"
"I am a woman, Frog! Not a child!" Spring snapped back. "How dare you I am a... I am a princess." Spring winced at her title, but she wanted him to be nice to her again.
"You are no Princess." Dev said softly. "You are a simple common girl!"
"You sure do like spending time with this simple girl don't you, Frog!"
"And you with this Frog! I only promised to be your friend because you looked like you needed one. Don't think I need you as well!"
Spring took a deep breath and try to hold back the tears. He was right, she had needed him...
"Just go then you dumb frog! Go back to your pond and I will be fine here! I don't need you! Or Angel! Or anyone!" Spring let the tears of her rage fall and she turned and ran towards the castle once more, leaving Dev to think about what it was he had just done, and said to his only friend.
Daisy sat in the gardens and picked one of the flowers that she was named after, it was truly as beautiful as she. When she saw Spring walking from the woods an evil smile formed on her face and she walked towards the common girl.
"Out playing with your imaginary friends again?"
"At least I have some, even your imaginary friends run from you in fright." Spring said feeling the anger return. She had stopped being angry and had started feeling more hurt as she ran off towards the castle. Soon she had slowed into a walk and slumped and felt sick and sad. Now she had new rage forming and Daisy was an easy target to release it on.
"Why you damn excuse for a child!" Daisy said in a harsh whisper. "I am everything your not, and everything you want to be. Look at me and look at you. I am beautiful, who wouldn't want to be my friend? I even have men lined up to marry me while you stand in the woods like the dogs! You are nothing but a simple common girl!"
Spring opened her mouth to speak but nothing came through. That was what Dev called her, simple and common. The two words went over and over in her head. Why did she have to ask the question? She didn't know it would hurt him so bad, and she didn't understand what it was he actually was.
New tears formed in Springs eyes but she tried to push them back, she looked up once more at Daisy. A glare that made Daisy step back a step, then Spring lifted her head and walked, simple and common like, to her room.