"So you couldn't decide between Hop Pop, Mr X or Marcy, huh?" Wally remarked. "Well, Marcy's story is far more important and quite plot driving while Mr X is also the same. But Hop Pop's is also important. So, I'm going to tell the tale of old Hopediah Plantar and his retirement."
"Ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhh, after Anne went home Hopediah started a successful avocado farm which created a long range of products. Avocado paint, avocado face cream, avocado soap, avocado paste, avocado hair gel, avocado toothpaste, avocado mouth wash, avocado deodorant, avocado perfume and etcetera, etcetera. During that time, he and Sylvia got engaged but unfortunately the big frog in the sky decided that her time had come. Old Hopediah mourned and mourned since it was 4 days before his wedding. But now approaching the grand age of 80, his age is started to catch up to him. Was it his time to retire?"
Weeks ago, Hop Pop had entered the store to get some beetle jerky for himself but unfortunately, the jerky was on a shelf he couldn't exactly reach. He inhaled to ready his tongue, but his tongue just shot to the floor.
"Aww, frog!" Hop Pop groaned before trying to reach for it with all his might, but couldn't. He then tried his walking stick, but that didn't work whatsoever.
Just then, a toad clerk approached the old frog. "Sir, can I help you?"
"No young man, I got this." Hop Pop assured him before jumping and cracking his back. "Ow! Yow! Ow! Okay, get the beetle jerky."
Later that day, Hop Pop was watering the avocado garden with the two frobos and one of Joe Sparrow and Bessie's snirds helping out. But Frobo 2 was watching Hop Pop throughout.
"Can I tell you that I'm concerned about your age Hopediah?" But Hop Pop didn't listen to their question. "Hopediah? Hopediah? Hopediah!"
"Huh, what?" Hop Pop asked.
"I'm concerned about your age." Frobo 2 replied.
"Are you?" Hop Pop asked.
"Yup."
"I don't know what you're saying, I don't even have a cage." Hop Pop's response made the robot face palm himself.
Later, Hop Pop was resting on the couch watching a movie being projected from Frobo. He tried to reach for some beetle jerky, but he accidentally knocked it over. "Oh, dang it." He got off the couch and bent down to pick it up, but his back cracked and he collapsed. "Ahhh! Oh frog! My back!"
Then Polly ran down the stairs looking concerned. "Hop Pop! You better not be dead, old man!" Polly ran to her grandfather and signalled Frobo to help her grandfather up which he did.
"Are you okay, Hop Pop?" Polly asked.
"I cracked my back, yet again." Hop Pop replied in pain. "Uh! And I thought 68 was worst for me. But 78 is the froggy underworld!"
"Hop Pop, I'm 16 and a cracked back isn't really bad for me." Polly said.
"Yeah yeah, hormones, hormones." Hop Pop retorted.
Then Frobo 2 walked in with an egg in their hand. "Plus, let's not forget your disgusting-"
"Frobo 2, not in front of us!" Hop Pop demanded.
"Why can't I describe disgusting facts?" Frobo 2 asked.
Just then, Jeremiah, Polly's new 'friend', walked down the stairs looking concerned. "Is everything okay?"
"We're Jeremiah." Polly replied.
"What happened?" He asked.
"I cracked my back again." Hop Pop replied. "When did you arrive?"
"I said hi to you like an hour ago." He responded. "Are Polly's hearing aids even working?"
"I don't even need them." Hop Pop said. "By the way, what are you even doing here?"
"Definitely not making out." Polly replied.
"You two better not be." Hop Pop said.
"Hop Pop, I know it's not my business, but maybe you should consider retirement and handing the farm to someone else." Jeremiah suggested.
"Say what?!" Hop Pop exclaimed. "I'm not handing it to you!"
"I'm still coaching." Jeremiah responded.
"Oh."
"Hop Pop, I agree with Jeremiah and not because he's my first boyfriend….I mean, friend!" Polly said. "But, I do think age is just a number, not a curse. Plus, I'm perfectly healthy."
"Hop Pop, you barley have the strength to do anything, you're suffering back pains and your hearing is getting worst!" Polly said.
"Look Polly, I'm not giving out due to these problems." Hop Pop declared. "Nothing is going to stop me from doing it! Nothing and I repeat, nothing!"
The next day, Hop Pop was raking the garden until his back cracked again, causing him to collapse. "Okay! I'll consider retirement."
A few hours of painful chiropractic later, Hop Pop was laying on the couch with Polly, Jeremiah, Frobo and Frobo 2 standing beside him.
"Alright, after retirement I need to give up the farm to someone. Is there anyone willing?" Hop Pop asked. "Jeremiah?"
"Again, I enjoy my coaching job." Jeremiah said.
"Understandable. Polly?"
"I know nothing about owning a farm!" Polly yelled. "Plus, my mechanic business and coaching job will be kind of overwhelming."
"I respect your career choices." Hop Pop said. "Frobo?"
"Work." Frobo replied.
"To be fair, you know how to protect and do chores. Frobo 2?"
"Like with Frobo 1, I know how to take orders, not give them." Frobo 2 said.
"What about Sprig?" Polly asked.
"No, not Sprig." Hop Pop responded.
"Really?" Frobo 2. "Because I scanned Sprig and he is a perfect replacement."
"Agreed." Polly said.
"I just don't want to put this burden on Sprig. I mean, he has been an amazing adventurer. He has found unmarked islands and turned them to colonies. Plus, let's not forget his discovery on what those bright lights were."
"Yeah, that was sad." Polly said.
"Totally." Jeremiah said.
Hop Pop sighed. "Well, I have to hold auditions."
And so, the next day Hop Pop started to hold auditions to see who was perfect to take over the farm once he begins his retirement. He sat on a chair on his porch to question who would be the perfect replacement.
"Okay, what makes you think you're qualifies to take over the farming business?" Hop Pop replied.
"I've had plenty of farmers at my mansion." Wally replied. "Plus, with a bit photosynthesis from my singing, it'll help the plants grow faster. Hear, I've wrote a song."
"Ooooooooohhhhhhhhh! Grow my little avocados! Grow! Grow! Grow!"
Hop Pop covered his ears, Polly ran out of the house screaming, Frobo armed himself just in case Wally was a threat, Bessie was hiding under her shell, Joe Sparrow flew away while Frobo 2 was watching on with a hint of amusement.
"You do know you're meant to attract customers, right?" Frobo 2 asked.
Then, Hop Pop moved to the next to the next possible replacement. "Okay, what makes you think you're a great candidate to take over the farm?"
"Well…." The former General Yunan began. "…my dear wife, Lady Olivia thinks my wild stories about my old army days when I was General Yunan, scourge of the Sand Wars, defeater-"
"I know who you are." Hop Pop said.
Yunan coughed. "Sorry, force of habit. Anyway, my wife thinks my tales of my former job are causing a negative affect on our daughter, Marcy. Plus, any enemy I come across will die at my hands. It's slow, peaceful and calm. If I become a farmer, I shall be Farmer Yunan, scourge of the seed wars, defeater of-"
"Do you need to have a speech every time you get a new occupation?" Hop Pop asked.
"It's a family thing." Yunan replied.
"Do you know how to farm?"
"No."
"Have you read the book?" Hop Pop asked.
"I got bored and used it as firewood instead." Yunan replied.
"Okay, you're not getting the job."
Later, Hop Pop sighed with annoyance at the next possible replacement. "Come on! What makes you think you can run a farm?"
The next candidate was the former King Andrias, whom was surprised despite being blind. "A farm? I thought I was at Leif's. My guide said it was right here."
Just then, Frog Soos arrived, panting. "Sorry Andrias, dude. I got distracted by a butterfly. How did you get here?"
"You guided me." King Andrias replied.
"Oh dude, I think that might have been someone imitating me." Frog Soos replied. "Okay Andrias, let's go. Just follow the sound of my voice and don't step on….." There was a loud sound.
"That better not be an avocado I stepped on." Andrias said.
"No."
"Oh thank goodness."
"You stepped on a green frog."
Andrias lifted the sole of his shoe and despite his lack of vision, pulled Jeremiah off his shoe. "Sorry kid."
Jeremiah breathed heavily. "I am not angry at you, don't worry."
Candidate after candidate they all failed Hop Pop's expectations. Some just didn't fit the requirements, some just didn't care while others had intense ways of handling a farm, he just couldn't find a replacement.
Then, Maddie Flower took a seat in front of the old frog. "Okay, I'm ready." Maddie's hair had grown so long over the ten years, that some of it was touching the ground. Plus, she now had a full black robe and a witch's hat. But the hat was mainly for her hair because she just liked her long hair.
Hop Pop sighed. "Let's get it over with, what makes you think you can run a farm?"
Maddie shook her head in confusion. "A farm? I thought I was here to fix your back problem. Or, you could ask Sprig if he could be your replacement."
"No. I don't want to put this burden on him." Hop Pop protested. "He has his own life!"
"Mr Plantar, the spell I have for your back only lasts temporarily so your back won't get better." Maddie informed him.
Hop Pop sighed. "The only people that know how to run this farm are me, but I'm too old and could be dead any year; Sprig, but he's an adventurer; And my dear Sylvia, but she has been dead for nine years. I wish she was here."
Maddie groaned. "Are you saying I should revive her?"
Hop Pop stared at her with confusion. "Uh…..When did I imply that?"
"You mentioned your dead fiancé and you've seen me raise the dead before." Maddie replied.
"I just thought those were illusions." Hop Pop said.
Maddie groaned in annoyance. "Look Mr Plantar, don't think about grabbing my book and going to raising the dead. Believe me, I tried to raise the dead frogs once, it didn't go well. I had to decapitate the zombified Mrs Croaker."
"Oh." Hop Pop responded. "So you don't want me to raise the dead?"
"Certainly not. It will be dangerous." Maddie said. "Now, where's your outhouse? I had a huge gulp of juice this morning. Plus, I'm going to be a long while."
"It's over there." Hop Pop replied.
"Thank you." Maddie got off the chair, leaving her book behind. The old frog took a quick glance at it and began patting his leg.
"Come now Hopediah, this isn't Anne, don't go about raising the dead." Hop Pop said. "Oh, I can't take it! Polly, Frobo!"
Polly jumped out of the window and landed on her feet while the two Frobos just did a superhero landing.
"Sup?" Polly responded.
"How can I help?" Frobo asked.
"If it's about actually asking Sprig then tell me now." Frobo 2 said.
"No gang, we're going to raise the dead." Hop Pop replied.
"Wow, he really has lost it." Frobo 2 remarked.
"Hop Pop!" Polly shouted. "Are you crazy?!"
"Look Polly, there are three people who knew how to run the farm…"
"You're forgetting us." Frobo 2 said.
"I never listened." Polly informed them.
"They were me, Sprig and Sylvia." Hop Pop explained.
"And Frobos one and two." Frobo 2 said sarcastically.
"So, I'm going to use this book to summon Sylvia back from the dead." Hop Pop declared.
"Hop Pop, bad idea!" Polly exclaimed.
"Well, I can't have Sprig run this farm, it will be too much of a burden for him." Hop Pop said. "So, let's revive the dead!"
"This is going to go wrong." Polly said. "But it will teach Hop Pop a valuable lesson about how not to mess with magic for a third time. Or was it fourth? Or second?"
"You're just going to let him do it?" Frobo 2 asked.
"Eh, it's the kind of chaos I've been missing." Polly replied.
Later at the graveyard, Hop Pop, Polly and the Frobos arrived at the graveyard where Hop Pop was reading from the book. "Okay, it says here make a circle with a chicken in it out of flower around the grave." Frobo listened and made a circle around Sylvia's gravestone. "Okay, then it says I need to read this spell."
"Hop Pop, when we're done and if it fails, can we not raise the dead ever again?" Polly asked.
"Alright Polly, we won't." Hop Pop assured her. "Let's read the spell. I just need my reading glasses."
"Wait, how did he read the first part?" Frobo 2 asked.
"He can see pictures, not letters." Polly replied.
"But, that doesn't make sense." Frobo 2 pointed out.
"Science don't make sense!" Polly retorted.
Hop Pop pulled out his reading glasses and coughed. "Matter, Braylerer, Danaer, Terracer, Alexer….." Sylvia's grave began to shake. "….Hirscher, Daroner, Nefcyer, Samer, Raimier…" A then popped out from the ground. "…Referencer, Nameser, Veryer, Metaer, Uher!" And like that, the zombified Sylvia burst out from the ground.
The zombified version of Hop Pop's deceased love appeared to have been rotting due to being buried for a very long time. Her skin was rotting, her flesh was flying away like paper, her eye was missing and the majority of her teeth had been rotting away.
While Hop Pop smiled with glee, Polly was terrified while the Frobos armed themselves just in case things got dangerous.
"Sylvia, my love, it's me." The Sylvia zombie stared at Hop Pop in confusion before taking a few steps towards him. "I know this is sudden, but I'm retiring and I need someone to run in the farm for me when I'm gone." But unbeknownst to everyone, more hands began popping out of their respective graves, even Hop Pop. "Your eyes are still beautiful my love. Even though they look like you lust for hunger. Well my love, this old timer doesn't have the skills for that."
"Ewww!" Polly bleached.
"I did not need to picture that." Frobo 2 said while shaking his head.
"Dead!" Frobo said.
"Don't say that to him, Frobe." Polly said.
"Dead!" Frobo pointed to zombified versions of Mrs Croaker, the dragonfly frog, Munroe and the recently deceased Sheriff Leatherleaf. This horrified sight made Polly scream in horror while Hop Pop paid no attention to it.
"Huh? Did someone say, bed?" Hop Pop asked.
Back at the Plantar farm, Sprig had returned home with a bag over his shoulder. He walked toward his old home, smiling at the sight before him. "It's good to be back." Sprig remarked. It was at this point, the fully grown frog began to realise something, there was nobody here. "Huh, that's weird. No Hop Pop, no Polly and no Frobos. Are they having a wacky adventure, without me?"
Then, Maddie stepped out of the outhouse, looking tired. "Uh, sorry I took long Mr Plantar."
"Maddie? What are you doing here?" Sprig asked.
"Here to help with your grandpa's back pain." Maddie replied. "But he refused it."
"Ah." Sprig responded. "So, where are they?"
"I don't know." Maddie replied. "I was in there for 9 minutes. Wait, where is everyone? And what happened to my book of spells?" Maddie began to inspect the book print on the ground.
"I didn't take it, so it must have been taken by a bird or something." Sprig theorised. "You wouldn't to have mentioned an off hand comment, right?"
Maddie then began to reminisce the things she said to Hop Pop. "Oh, he didn't!"
"What?" Sprig asked.
"I need to be sure though." She pulled out a bag of reminisce powder, took a handful of the green stuff and blew it on to the print which showed a sort of holographic projection of Hop Pop taking the book. "I know where your grandfather is going. You have to pray he isn't dead yet.l
"What why?" Sprig asked.
"He is possibly trying to raise Sylvia from the dead."
"What?!" Sprig exclaimed. "Hasn't he learnt anything from you reviving Mrs Croaker?!"
"Sadly not. Right now, we have to pray that he is alive."
Sprig blew a raspberry. "Knowing the adventures we get into, he is probably screaming and trying to think of a wacky plan to get out of the situation."
Back at the graveyard, Hop Pop, Polly and the Frobos were running from the zombies, whom were all slowly trying to eat them. Hop Pop was being dragged by Polly due to his running legs not doing well as they did in his younger days.
Frobo shot a few of the zombie frogs along with Frobo 2. "I knew this was a bad idea." Frobo 2 declared. "I assume this is the part where he learns his lesson?"
"That's when he has a heart-to-heart." Polly replied.
"Everyone into the mausoleum!" Hop Pop's request got Frobo to tear the door open and for everyone to run in.
Once inside, the Frobos slammed the door shut to stop the zombies from getting in. But the zombies weren't having any of it, as they started pounding.
"How did this happen?" Hop Pop asked. "I said the spell correctly."
"Did you?" Frobo 2 asked. "Because you were meant to revive one person, not an entire graveyard!"
"You think I don't know that?!" Hop Pop exclaimed.
"Well Hop Pop, what have we learnt today?" Polly asked.
"Uh, never revive the dead?" Hop Pop asked.
"That's just the end point." Polly responded.
"Uh….When things are going south, don't raise the dead as a last resort?"
"That's a good morale lesson." Polly said.
"Well kids, looks like I done it." Hop Pop said sadly. "Looks like I may have gotten everyone killed."
"Hop Pop, how many times have we almost been killed?" Polly asked. "Like seriously, I lost count. Any of you Frobos know?"
"Around 43 times." Frobo 1 replied.
"Does incalculable count as an answer?" Frobo 2 asked.
"Look Hop Pop, this isn't new to us we're going to get out of this." Polly assured him. "Plus, I forgive you. I get that finding a replacement is tough, sometimes I wonder who will ever replace you when you're gone. Because, I know you're not going to live forever and you're at an age where you'll probably die and I'm 16. I'm no where near the right age to be on my own, legally anyway."
"Since when did you care about the law?" Frobo 2 asked.
"That was the triplets!" Polly screamed. "Hop Pop, your fear is understandable but let's try and find a way to get out of here first."
"Wait, we ran into a mausoleum." Frobo 2 said.
"Yeah, so?" Hop Pop asked.
Polly then realised something. "Hop Pop, we ran into a mausoleum."
"And what's wrong with a maus….oh! Oh, right!" Hop Pop screamed. "I got us trapped in a mausoleum! What was I thinking?!"
"It could be empty." Frobo 2 theorised.
But the robot's theory was wrong because a bunch of zombies were slowly coming up towards them, attempting to devour them. This caused them to scream and to run out, where they saw that the other zombies were still there. "Ahhh!"
"There's too many, what do we do?!" Polly exclaimed.
"I say we fly out, but they'll just follow us to Wartwood." Frobo 2 pointed out.
Hop Pop then pulled a determined look. "Which is why someone's going to lead them away from Wartwood."
Polly stared at her grandfather with a sad expression. "Hop Pop, please, don't!" The frog pleaded.
"Polly, I got us into this mess, I need to get out of it." Hop Pop said.
"Look, this heart-to-heart is great and all, but we need to go!" Frobo 2 declared.
"But, Hop Pop…" Polly began to sniffle which the old frog noticed. He turned to his granddaughter and kissed her forehead before motions the Frobos to get her to safety.
Frobo puts Polly put her on the back of his head and flew out of the graveyard with Frobo 2, whom gave the old frog a nod.
Hop Pop then turned to the zombies. "Hey frogs, fresh meat! You wanna eat me! Come, get me!" Despite the fact his legs were a bit weak, he was somehow fast enough to begin leading the zombies away from Wartwood. He didn't know where he was going take to them but he knew he was going to make sure his people were safe.
But as he began running, accepting what could have been his fate and seeing his beloved Sylvia again, but when he turned around, he noticed that the zombies were very far behind.
"Huh, should have power walked." Hop Pop said.
But as he began running to start up again, the zombies suddenly collapsed in front of him, like the new life they had, had suddenly been extinguished.
The old frog was at first confused, but then he saw his grandson and a very angry Maddie. "Hey Hop Pop!"
"Hopediah!" Maddie angrily marched up to the farmer. "I don't know what you were doing! Didn't my story about messing with the dead mean nothing?!"
"I was going to tame her." Hop Pop argued.
"That sounded a whole lot of wrong." Sprig remarked.
"Hopediah, this book was made for responsible witches!" Maddie yelled. "Next time, if you decide to cast a spell don't and check the descriptions of the spells! Because you just used the spell to revive the dead in the area instead of one dead person! What do you have to say for yourself?!"
Hop Pop looked over the corpse of his beloved Sylvia and sighed with sadness. "I'm sorry my beloved."
"Hey, to me!" Maddie yelled. "Not the corpse. You know what, I have better things to do today. Like trying to convince Wally those bright lights weren't there."
As Maddie walked away, Sprig approached his grandfather. "Hop Pop, what were you thinking?"
"Sprig, I'm intending on retiring and I was looking for a replacement." Hop Pop replied. "But no one met the right qualities and Polly has her own life."
Sprig stared at his grandfather in confusion. "Then….Why didn't you ask me?"
"Huh?" Hop Pop reacted in surprise. "But, your adventures."
"Sometimes those death defying adventures can become too much." Sprig replied. "Sometimes, I just want to do something simple and quiet, plus a mixture of death defying adventures. Just like, y'know, the good old days with Anne. Hop Pop, I'd gladly take over the farm and when I want to go on a crazy adventure, I'll just leave things to the Frobos. Because nobody can run your farm instead of a Plantar."
Hop Pop began tearing up. "You have no idea how happy you have made this old frog." The two of them began hugging each other in a loving manner with old frog crying into his grandson's shoulder.
"I know." Sprig said. "I know."
Hop Pop wiped away his tears. "Now, let's get back home. Oh wait, Polly might think I'm dead. You still got Anne's phone?"
Sprig pulled it out of his pocket and dialled a number. "Hey Frobo 2…..Yeah….He's alive….Oh really, how good was it?…Wow, sounds deep…..Yeah, I'm running the farm now so I'll be your boss….Okay, tell Polly the same…..Bye." Sprig hung up and put the phone back in his pocket.
"What did they say?" Hop Pop asked.
"They dug your grave." Sprig replied. "They really thought you were going to die."
"Oh, right. Did they at least make it deep enough?"
