Frodo Friday
Author's Note: Yeah! Guess what? You get an extra-long chapter today! Enjoy my wonderful, spectacular, awesome, tubular, way cool, gnarly, and all around great story! Are you drooling with excitement yet? Well, I won't hold you in suspense any longer! Without further ado - the story!
Chapter 3 Confused Ducks and a Frog Named Sam
Finally we arrived at the front lawn of the school. I noticed a clump of girls standing over near the flagpole and I walked over.
"And I told her that he was such a confused duck," I heard one of the girls say.
"Hello Nikita," I said loudly.
"Huh?" Nikita asked as she turned around. The other girls waved but continued their conversation. "Oh, hi Emily," Nikita said. "I was just talking about - "
" - Pop Tart," I finished. "And three guesses who I saw on the way here today."
"Pop Tart," she groaned. "Come on Emily! Give up on him already! He's a whole year older than you!"
"Correction: five moths and four days older than me. That's closer than some of the boys in our grade are."
"Still, next year he's going off to high school and leaving you here all alone."
"I'll live."
"Yeah right! And - OH MY GOD!" Nikita had noticed Frodo. She stopped and stared. "Is that...is that...is that...?" she stammered.
"Yes, it's Frodo," I replied.
"Wow! He's wearing normal clothes! And how did he get here? I mean, he's a fictional character and all..."
"I don't know. I just know that he appeared in my closet this morning. As for the clothes, their Joe's."
"What will you tell the teachers?"
"I'll just pretend he's my cousin visiting for the day. Let's hope they buy that." Just then I noticed a shape moving towards me out of the corner of my eye. I turned around. It was Lila.
"Hey Emily," she said. "What's - HUH?" She had noticed Frodo too, and had almost dropped her half-eaten bagel, which Frodo had begun to eye eagerly. I told her the whole story.
"Now that's weird," she replied when I had finished.
"Tell me about it," I answered. I turned to Frodo. "I've noticed you've been awfully quite about all this, my little buddy. What do you have to say?"
Frodo burst out "IT'S WEIRD HERE! I HAVE TO WEAR THESE AWFUL BAGGY PANTS, PEOPLE HAVE CODE NAMES AND I DINDN'T HAVE SECOND BREAKFAST!" This last part he shouted extra loud, with his hungry eye on Lila's bagel. He panted after this strong show of emotion. A lot of words to say for such a small mouth.
Lila looked confused. "Code names? Oh don't tell me Emily you've told him about Pop Tart!"
I blushed. "Well..."
Lila sighed. "Why do you tell everybody? As for the second breakfast part...have my bagel. I don't need it anyway." Frodo took the bagel from her eagerly and began immediately to chomp away at it.
"Does this have cream cheese on it?" he asked. "If it doesn't, it should."
"Don't worry, it does," replied Lila. "That was random. And he should be able to taste it himself."
"Yeah," Nikita and I replied. Nikita glanced at her watch.
"Whoa, it's 7:55 already," she said. "We were allowed to go in five minutes ago."
"Well, let's go inside," I said. The four of us walked inside. Frodo seemed to be in a better mood. Maybe it was the bagel. At the stairwell, Nikita and Lila went up to the second floor while I went down to the basement.
"Good luck with Frodo!" Nikita teased.
"Thanks," I replied. "I think I'll need it. Bye!"
"Bye!" they replied.
"Come on, Frodo," I said as I motioned down the stairs. "My locker's down here." We trudged down the stairs and into the basement. I walked over to the row of blue lockers, fiddled with my lock, and opened my locker. I unloaded my backpack and took the books I'd need for my first class. With a slam, I closed my locker. While walking to my first classroom, I couldn't help but notice that lots of people were staring at the 'little short person acting as Emily's shadow.'
Finally I herded Frodo to my first class: Science. A horrible stanch met my nose. That's right: we were dissecting frogs today. How could I have forgotten? Well I guess it was understandable, considering the whole Frodo thing.
"Sit here," I said, pointing at an empty desk next to mine. "Nobody sits there," I told him. I shoved my books into my desk and looked up to see my friend Sarina staring at me.
"Whoa..." she said. "How did you get Frodo here?"
"Good question. I'd like to know myself."
I guess it was enough for her. "Big day today," she said to me.
"I know," I groaned. "Frogs. And I have my little buddy Frodo here to help me."
"Uh huh," replied Sarina.
Then I heard a voice. "Emily?" called the voice. "Could you come here for a second? And bring your little friend" It was my teacher: Mrs. Cooken. I began to sweat. What if Frodo couldn't stay? I grabbed Frodo by the hand and brought him up to the desk.
"Who is this?" Mrs. Cooken asked.
"He's uh - my cousin," I replied. "His name's Fro - I mean, Fred. He's visiting for the day."
Mrs. Cooken smiled. "Okay, I was just wondering. I'll tell the office that he's here for you. Welcome Fred."
I nudged 'Fred.' "Thank you," he replied.
We went back to our seats. Phew! It's a good thing Mrs. Cooken didn't send Frodo home, because then he'd have no place to go. "Well that's out of the way," I sighed to Sarina. "Frodo's here for the day!"
"That's good," she said.
"Attention, class!" Mrs. Cooken said. "Today, as you know, is a big day! Today you'll be dissecting frogs! Get into groups of three." I glanced at Sarina. She understood and nodded. "I'll hand out the supplies and the frogs and you can get to work!" Mrs. Cooken finished.
"I'll get the stuff," said Sarina. She walked away and came back with the frog and all the other stuff we needed.
"Who wants to make the first cut?" Sarina asked.
"You can!" I said as I pushed to frog closer to her.
"All right!" Sarina said. "But first - what should we name it?"
"SAM!" cried Frodo.
"A just choice," I replied as I winked at Sarina. She stifled a giggle.
"Okay then," she giggled. "His name is Sam."
She cut it open and we stared inside. Frodo's face turned a shade of green and he looked away.
"I'm not going to look," he said. "It's too gross!"
"Okay," I replied. I poked around with a stick. "Oh, Frodo?" I asked.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I don't think Sam is a good name for this frog."
"Why?"
"It's a girl."
"Oh - in that case I have no idea."
"How about Sam, but it's short for Samantha?" asked Sarina.
"Works for me," I replied. "Frodo?"
"Uh - sure," he answered. He definitely looked sick now.
"Uh, Frodo?" I asked. "Would you like me to bring you to the bathroom?" I never got an answer - Frodo had bolted out the door. "I'll be right back," I told Sarina. "He doesn't know where the bathroom is."
"Take your time," she replied.
"Oh - and tell Mrs. Cooken where I went."
"Sure thing."
"Thanks!" I cried as I ran out the door.
"Oh - Emily?" I stopped and turned to Sarina.
"Yes?"
"Make sure he doesn't hurl on my locker."
Author's Note: Yeah! Guess what? You get an extra-long chapter today! Enjoy my wonderful, spectacular, awesome, tubular, way cool, gnarly, and all around great story! Are you drooling with excitement yet? Well, I won't hold you in suspense any longer! Without further ado - the story!
Chapter 3 Confused Ducks and a Frog Named Sam
Finally we arrived at the front lawn of the school. I noticed a clump of girls standing over near the flagpole and I walked over.
"And I told her that he was such a confused duck," I heard one of the girls say.
"Hello Nikita," I said loudly.
"Huh?" Nikita asked as she turned around. The other girls waved but continued their conversation. "Oh, hi Emily," Nikita said. "I was just talking about - "
" - Pop Tart," I finished. "And three guesses who I saw on the way here today."
"Pop Tart," she groaned. "Come on Emily! Give up on him already! He's a whole year older than you!"
"Correction: five moths and four days older than me. That's closer than some of the boys in our grade are."
"Still, next year he's going off to high school and leaving you here all alone."
"I'll live."
"Yeah right! And - OH MY GOD!" Nikita had noticed Frodo. She stopped and stared. "Is that...is that...is that...?" she stammered.
"Yes, it's Frodo," I replied.
"Wow! He's wearing normal clothes! And how did he get here? I mean, he's a fictional character and all..."
"I don't know. I just know that he appeared in my closet this morning. As for the clothes, their Joe's."
"What will you tell the teachers?"
"I'll just pretend he's my cousin visiting for the day. Let's hope they buy that." Just then I noticed a shape moving towards me out of the corner of my eye. I turned around. It was Lila.
"Hey Emily," she said. "What's - HUH?" She had noticed Frodo too, and had almost dropped her half-eaten bagel, which Frodo had begun to eye eagerly. I told her the whole story.
"Now that's weird," she replied when I had finished.
"Tell me about it," I answered. I turned to Frodo. "I've noticed you've been awfully quite about all this, my little buddy. What do you have to say?"
Frodo burst out "IT'S WEIRD HERE! I HAVE TO WEAR THESE AWFUL BAGGY PANTS, PEOPLE HAVE CODE NAMES AND I DINDN'T HAVE SECOND BREAKFAST!" This last part he shouted extra loud, with his hungry eye on Lila's bagel. He panted after this strong show of emotion. A lot of words to say for such a small mouth.
Lila looked confused. "Code names? Oh don't tell me Emily you've told him about Pop Tart!"
I blushed. "Well..."
Lila sighed. "Why do you tell everybody? As for the second breakfast part...have my bagel. I don't need it anyway." Frodo took the bagel from her eagerly and began immediately to chomp away at it.
"Does this have cream cheese on it?" he asked. "If it doesn't, it should."
"Don't worry, it does," replied Lila. "That was random. And he should be able to taste it himself."
"Yeah," Nikita and I replied. Nikita glanced at her watch.
"Whoa, it's 7:55 already," she said. "We were allowed to go in five minutes ago."
"Well, let's go inside," I said. The four of us walked inside. Frodo seemed to be in a better mood. Maybe it was the bagel. At the stairwell, Nikita and Lila went up to the second floor while I went down to the basement.
"Good luck with Frodo!" Nikita teased.
"Thanks," I replied. "I think I'll need it. Bye!"
"Bye!" they replied.
"Come on, Frodo," I said as I motioned down the stairs. "My locker's down here." We trudged down the stairs and into the basement. I walked over to the row of blue lockers, fiddled with my lock, and opened my locker. I unloaded my backpack and took the books I'd need for my first class. With a slam, I closed my locker. While walking to my first classroom, I couldn't help but notice that lots of people were staring at the 'little short person acting as Emily's shadow.'
Finally I herded Frodo to my first class: Science. A horrible stanch met my nose. That's right: we were dissecting frogs today. How could I have forgotten? Well I guess it was understandable, considering the whole Frodo thing.
"Sit here," I said, pointing at an empty desk next to mine. "Nobody sits there," I told him. I shoved my books into my desk and looked up to see my friend Sarina staring at me.
"Whoa..." she said. "How did you get Frodo here?"
"Good question. I'd like to know myself."
I guess it was enough for her. "Big day today," she said to me.
"I know," I groaned. "Frogs. And I have my little buddy Frodo here to help me."
"Uh huh," replied Sarina.
Then I heard a voice. "Emily?" called the voice. "Could you come here for a second? And bring your little friend" It was my teacher: Mrs. Cooken. I began to sweat. What if Frodo couldn't stay? I grabbed Frodo by the hand and brought him up to the desk.
"Who is this?" Mrs. Cooken asked.
"He's uh - my cousin," I replied. "His name's Fro - I mean, Fred. He's visiting for the day."
Mrs. Cooken smiled. "Okay, I was just wondering. I'll tell the office that he's here for you. Welcome Fred."
I nudged 'Fred.' "Thank you," he replied.
We went back to our seats. Phew! It's a good thing Mrs. Cooken didn't send Frodo home, because then he'd have no place to go. "Well that's out of the way," I sighed to Sarina. "Frodo's here for the day!"
"That's good," she said.
"Attention, class!" Mrs. Cooken said. "Today, as you know, is a big day! Today you'll be dissecting frogs! Get into groups of three." I glanced at Sarina. She understood and nodded. "I'll hand out the supplies and the frogs and you can get to work!" Mrs. Cooken finished.
"I'll get the stuff," said Sarina. She walked away and came back with the frog and all the other stuff we needed.
"Who wants to make the first cut?" Sarina asked.
"You can!" I said as I pushed to frog closer to her.
"All right!" Sarina said. "But first - what should we name it?"
"SAM!" cried Frodo.
"A just choice," I replied as I winked at Sarina. She stifled a giggle.
"Okay then," she giggled. "His name is Sam."
She cut it open and we stared inside. Frodo's face turned a shade of green and he looked away.
"I'm not going to look," he said. "It's too gross!"
"Okay," I replied. I poked around with a stick. "Oh, Frodo?" I asked.
"Yes?" he asked.
"I don't think Sam is a good name for this frog."
"Why?"
"It's a girl."
"Oh - in that case I have no idea."
"How about Sam, but it's short for Samantha?" asked Sarina.
"Works for me," I replied. "Frodo?"
"Uh - sure," he answered. He definitely looked sick now.
"Uh, Frodo?" I asked. "Would you like me to bring you to the bathroom?" I never got an answer - Frodo had bolted out the door. "I'll be right back," I told Sarina. "He doesn't know where the bathroom is."
"Take your time," she replied.
"Oh - and tell Mrs. Cooken where I went."
"Sure thing."
"Thanks!" I cried as I ran out the door.
"Oh - Emily?" I stopped and turned to Sarina.
"Yes?"
"Make sure he doesn't hurl on my locker."