The Frog Duchess
* * *
Duke felt the cool cubes roll against the palm of his had. He pressed his fingertips against the edge of his wrist, entrapping he bouncing dices. He unfurled his fingers, letting the precious metals catch the sunlight.
These were no ordinary dices; they were made from pure gold and silver and were given to him from Pegasus. Though Duke trusted Yugi now and all, he still treasured his special dices, not only because of their value.
He leaned against the mossy cypress knee, fanning away the humid air and buzzing flies from his face. Duke liked to just sit and think whenever he was near the park's pond. It was desolate since everyone had strayed far from the 'disease-infected swamp'.
Duke swept his dark bangs from his eyes. It was an annoying idiosyncrasy, as he was told, but he ignored the snide comments. It was either that, or get a haircut. He brushed them back, his fingers grazing across his red bandana.
He let the dice jump out of his hand momentarily and grabbed them out of the air. He did so a few times until he tossed it too hard. It flew up into the sun, blinding Duke. The dices fell and bounced off the water's edge. They drowned into the thick, murky waters. He reacted quickly and plunged his arm into the soupy substance, grouping blindly.
Duke let out a heavy sigh. He had been fishing in the lake for nearly an hour with no success. He pulled out his arm and made a face. A thin green layer of algae was smeared all over.
Dusk was approaching and the sky was a bluish-red hue. Just as the sun prepared to sink away, an ugly brown frog head broke the calm surface of water. In it's mouth were two square shapes, one for each cheek. A strange shaped scar etched the back of its ear. "C'mere, you!" shouted Duke as he made a desperate attempt to snatch the frog.
It darted back under the water in a splash, sending a spray of muddied filth on Duke's face. He coughed and sputtered, roughly wiping his mouth with the back of his hands, realizing that his hand was still dirty when it was too late. In anger, he dried his arm with his pant leg, forgetting for a moment that they were expensive.
"Argh!" He went home abashed and angry.
* * *
Question 1: Sketch an accurate picture of a human brain. Color and label. Write 5 facts on the brain.
Duke sighed dramatically as he began to draw what looked like a gelatin blob with pieces of fruit and noodles inside. He was no artist; that's why he paid a cartoonist to create his dungeon dice monsters. He started outside, and saw his game shop a few miles away. He gnashed his teeth and turned to glare at his science worksheet.
'I could be re-programming Dungeon Dice Monsters, but I have to stay and rot in the Biology class hellhole!'
He finished the drawing and began to color in the cerebrum. He paused momentarily to glance around the classroom. Yugi was daydreaming, as always; he was probably talking to his Yami. Tea was doodling tutus for her dance recital. Mai was filing her nails. Tristan was crouched over his science textbook, but instead, was reading a car magazine. Joey was crushing up paper into spit wads to throw them at nerds, or just people he hated. One hit Kaiba square in the jaw. Kaiba growled menacingly and muttered something like;" Stupid puppy-dog," and continued etching the perfect cerebellum.
Duke quickly finished; scrawling a quick question in the medulla and stormed to the teacher's desk to pick up another sheet; returning to his seat muttering darkly about school. He still didn't forget about his precious dices.
"All right, class; put away your things. We will being the dissecting as I promised last week."
Yugi flinched as Tea's face turned a shade of green. Tristan and Joey slapped a high five and Kaiba slid under his seat, grumbling about how slow the school system was.
The teacher passed out dissecting pans and needles while she called on Mai to pass out the frog. She paled. "M-me?" she choked. She got up anyway and put on elbow length rubber gloves. Mai picked up the first frog, clamping her fingers over the smooth skin. The frog suddenly lashed out, squirming from her grasp. She gave a scream a tossed it towards the window, landing on Duke's lap.
"You said they were dead!" she accused in her hysterics.
Duke glanced down in shock. It was the frog; the one that ate his dices! The scar and size where the same. 'If I dissect it, I might be able to get my dices back' he thought. He hesitated. 'No, even a rotten thief of a frog shouldn't deserve to be cut up.' Duke slid the frog in his desk and jumped up.
"He hopped out of the window, Mrs. H!" he called, pretending to be shocked. "It just slipped out of my hands!"
All of the students crowded over the sill, peering for any sign of the frog. Yugi stared down, his eyes barely leveled with the sill. "I hope he made it." Yugi whispered softly. He was big on animals.
Mai pushed someone aside and looked down. "Good, another disgusting animal wiped out of the face of the Earth!"
"Oh-hh! Poor froggie!" crooned Tea sympathetically, sniffling slightly.
Tristan and Joey glanced at each other. "Splat!" they shouted with glee as the slapped yet another high five. Kaiba, who was still in his seat, rolled his eyes.
"Alright class, back to your seats. Tristan will be passing you frogs now . . . Dead ones, to be sure," she added testily, the word 'dead' stressed ever so slightly.
Duke felt the frog's long sticky tongue lap at his fingertips. He frowned and remembered that he had handled the fruit flies a few minutes later and forgot to wash his hands. He looked at the clock in despair and the amphibian continued to greedily lick his hands. Another 45 minutes of frog tongue wash service. Duke sighed.
'She won't taste me as soon as I get covered in frog guts,' he thought pulling out his hands to inspect the slimy residue. His hair began to itch and before he knew it, he had frog goop on his head. He sighed bitterly. He seemed to have all the luck in the world.
* * *
* * *
Duke felt the cool cubes roll against the palm of his had. He pressed his fingertips against the edge of his wrist, entrapping he bouncing dices. He unfurled his fingers, letting the precious metals catch the sunlight.
These were no ordinary dices; they were made from pure gold and silver and were given to him from Pegasus. Though Duke trusted Yugi now and all, he still treasured his special dices, not only because of their value.
He leaned against the mossy cypress knee, fanning away the humid air and buzzing flies from his face. Duke liked to just sit and think whenever he was near the park's pond. It was desolate since everyone had strayed far from the 'disease-infected swamp'.
Duke swept his dark bangs from his eyes. It was an annoying idiosyncrasy, as he was told, but he ignored the snide comments. It was either that, or get a haircut. He brushed them back, his fingers grazing across his red bandana.
He let the dice jump out of his hand momentarily and grabbed them out of the air. He did so a few times until he tossed it too hard. It flew up into the sun, blinding Duke. The dices fell and bounced off the water's edge. They drowned into the thick, murky waters. He reacted quickly and plunged his arm into the soupy substance, grouping blindly.
Duke let out a heavy sigh. He had been fishing in the lake for nearly an hour with no success. He pulled out his arm and made a face. A thin green layer of algae was smeared all over.
Dusk was approaching and the sky was a bluish-red hue. Just as the sun prepared to sink away, an ugly brown frog head broke the calm surface of water. In it's mouth were two square shapes, one for each cheek. A strange shaped scar etched the back of its ear. "C'mere, you!" shouted Duke as he made a desperate attempt to snatch the frog.
It darted back under the water in a splash, sending a spray of muddied filth on Duke's face. He coughed and sputtered, roughly wiping his mouth with the back of his hands, realizing that his hand was still dirty when it was too late. In anger, he dried his arm with his pant leg, forgetting for a moment that they were expensive.
"Argh!" He went home abashed and angry.
* * *
Question 1: Sketch an accurate picture of a human brain. Color and label. Write 5 facts on the brain.
Duke sighed dramatically as he began to draw what looked like a gelatin blob with pieces of fruit and noodles inside. He was no artist; that's why he paid a cartoonist to create his dungeon dice monsters. He started outside, and saw his game shop a few miles away. He gnashed his teeth and turned to glare at his science worksheet.
'I could be re-programming Dungeon Dice Monsters, but I have to stay and rot in the Biology class hellhole!'
He finished the drawing and began to color in the cerebrum. He paused momentarily to glance around the classroom. Yugi was daydreaming, as always; he was probably talking to his Yami. Tea was doodling tutus for her dance recital. Mai was filing her nails. Tristan was crouched over his science textbook, but instead, was reading a car magazine. Joey was crushing up paper into spit wads to throw them at nerds, or just people he hated. One hit Kaiba square in the jaw. Kaiba growled menacingly and muttered something like;" Stupid puppy-dog," and continued etching the perfect cerebellum.
Duke quickly finished; scrawling a quick question in the medulla and stormed to the teacher's desk to pick up another sheet; returning to his seat muttering darkly about school. He still didn't forget about his precious dices.
"All right, class; put away your things. We will being the dissecting as I promised last week."
Yugi flinched as Tea's face turned a shade of green. Tristan and Joey slapped a high five and Kaiba slid under his seat, grumbling about how slow the school system was.
The teacher passed out dissecting pans and needles while she called on Mai to pass out the frog. She paled. "M-me?" she choked. She got up anyway and put on elbow length rubber gloves. Mai picked up the first frog, clamping her fingers over the smooth skin. The frog suddenly lashed out, squirming from her grasp. She gave a scream a tossed it towards the window, landing on Duke's lap.
"You said they were dead!" she accused in her hysterics.
Duke glanced down in shock. It was the frog; the one that ate his dices! The scar and size where the same. 'If I dissect it, I might be able to get my dices back' he thought. He hesitated. 'No, even a rotten thief of a frog shouldn't deserve to be cut up.' Duke slid the frog in his desk and jumped up.
"He hopped out of the window, Mrs. H!" he called, pretending to be shocked. "It just slipped out of my hands!"
All of the students crowded over the sill, peering for any sign of the frog. Yugi stared down, his eyes barely leveled with the sill. "I hope he made it." Yugi whispered softly. He was big on animals.
Mai pushed someone aside and looked down. "Good, another disgusting animal wiped out of the face of the Earth!"
"Oh-hh! Poor froggie!" crooned Tea sympathetically, sniffling slightly.
Tristan and Joey glanced at each other. "Splat!" they shouted with glee as the slapped yet another high five. Kaiba, who was still in his seat, rolled his eyes.
"Alright class, back to your seats. Tristan will be passing you frogs now . . . Dead ones, to be sure," she added testily, the word 'dead' stressed ever so slightly.
Duke felt the frog's long sticky tongue lap at his fingertips. He frowned and remembered that he had handled the fruit flies a few minutes later and forgot to wash his hands. He looked at the clock in despair and the amphibian continued to greedily lick his hands. Another 45 minutes of frog tongue wash service. Duke sighed.
'She won't taste me as soon as I get covered in frog guts,' he thought pulling out his hands to inspect the slimy residue. His hair began to itch and before he knew it, he had frog goop on his head. He sighed bitterly. He seemed to have all the luck in the world.
* * *