Anne Plantar Arrives.
...
Polly Plantar considered herself to be pretty lucky.
She was the toughest Polliwog in town but also the coolest Plantar.
Originally she had been the only girl in the Plantar house, not that mattered to her, she had been the queen of her little domain for years. Hop Pop trusted more than her brother and Sprig usually backed down to her when she wanted something. Sometimes he stood up to her and a few of those times she allowed him to win. But those moments were just her being nice.
She didn't have parents and never really got the appeal. Usually when she told someone that, they gave her a sad look and apologized. She didn't know what for, She looked at the other Polliwogs who had their parents and usually saw them acting all mushy around them. Barf.
Polly had two people who she loved and she was okay with that. Hop Pop loved her and read her stories and Sprig was always willing to give her a ride whenever she wanted. He also juggled her from time to time. Though she said she was too old for it. (She laughed last time but that was for Sprig's amusement.)
Things changed recently when the monster called Anne had moved in.
Originally she distrusted Anne. But over time she had to admit that she was pretty cool. She was still disappointed by the fact that she hadn't tried to eat any of her enemies. But there were other benefits with having a monster as a friend,
There were the long arms and legs, which were extremely useful in reaching things on high shelves, And the fact that she was always willing to carry her around was always a plus in Polly's eyes.
Though there were times Anne was just as annoying as the rest of her family. Like the times she called her cute, and the times when she wouldn't give her a lift and acted grumpy towards her saying she had other things to do when all she was actually doing was reading one of the magazines.
But there was one thing that didn't make sense to her.
Now that Anne lived with them didn't that make her part of their family? If so why was her last name was Boonchuy and not Plantar?
She asked Hop Pop that question one day.
"Well, I guess she is one of us in a way."
Polly asked him what he meant, He told her it was kind of complex but that when she was older she would understand.
Polly could have understood if he told her, She was wise to the world. She wasn't four anymore.
Right now though she was riding with her brother and Grandfather in the wagon, Sprig was riding in the kart while Polly was riding up front with Hop Pop.
Hop Pop was angry, part of her wondered if it was at Anne for walking away earlier. when asked Hop Pop just shook his head and told her no. He was angry at the world and how it treated Anne.
Polly agreed. The world did suck when it forgot how Awesome Anne was, she might be strange and ugly to look at but the girl had treated him nicely, there were times like that day she wanted Polly to act more like a girl, Where she had turned into a huge jerk, but she then told it was alright act like she always acted, Anne was weird, but that's why she was cool. She wondered what Anne was doing now and hoped that she was feeling better.
When they arrived at the House she noticed something. "Hey, why are there bags outside the farm door?." She Said.
"Oh no, have we been robbed?" asked Sprig worried.
" I don't think so not many crooks leave bags outside the house," replied Hop Pop.
"They would be if they were robbers that hate a mess, so they cleaned the place for us." Said Polly.
"Yeah but there are only three bags. They haven't cleaned the whole place." Said Sprig.
As Bessie stopped just outside of the bags, Sprig jumped off and landed next to one of the bags. He opened it and looked inside. He pulled out Anne's school Bag.
"Oh no, they think Anne's stuff is garbage."
"Anne are you okay?" Said Hop Pop ignoring Sprig.
"Hey guys, I'm fine just come in. I want to show you something." came a voice from inside the farmhouse.
Sprig, Hop Pop, and Polly looked at each other and entered the house.
...
Anne was not wearing her usual school uniform. She was wearing a dress that looked like a mishmash of different clothes. Hop Pop thought they looked familiar, and then he realized that a part of the mishmash had been his mother's Sunday best. The dress seemed to be made up of old clothes in the attic. Hop Pop counted and there were around 6 different generations of Plantar fashion in that dress alone. It reminded him of the book Frankenfrog where the Scientist had created a monster from Frog, Newt, and Toad body parts.
However instead of just killing the beast. The Scientist had decided to skin the beast and then wear the remains as a dress.
"So, What do you think?" asked Anne.
The family was quiet.
"Um, I think it looks nice," Said Sprig praying to god that a monster would burst through the roof.
"Yeah, It brings out the... You," said Hop Pop. He had worn some pretty awful stuff when he was an actor but that... Oof.
"Are we looking at the same dress?" Said Polly.
Hop Pop Covered her mouth before she could continue.
"It's very nice Anne but why are you doing this?"
"Well reason I've changed clothes is that I've made a decision, I don't want to be Anne Boonchuy anymore."
The two frogs and one polliwog looked at Anne. The two frogs were shocked. The Polliwog was confused.
"Come again?" asked Sprig.
"I don't want to be Anne Boonchuy anymore, It's time I started fitting in around Wartwood more. So I've decided to take up a new name."
"Oh so who do you want to be then?" asked Hop Pop.
"Anne Plantar."
The family looked at her even more shocked.
"Anne that sounds..." started Hop Pop
"AWESOME," said the two younger members of the family. Earning an annoyed glance for their elder.
"Anne can be our sister now." Said Polly.
"Now hang on everyone," Interrupted Hop Pop "Anne I'm Happy that yew wants to take on the Plantar name but are you sure yew want to do this?"
"Yes Hop Pop, Anne Boonchuy Is someone I don't want to be at the moment, So I want to get rid of her for now." said Anne determined, "Heck that's why I throw out a lot of my stuff."
Hop Pop sighed. "Okay Anne, but can I make a suggestion?"
"Sure what?"
"Can we keep all of your stuff in the attic? Just in case you need it."
"I guess, but honestly I'm probably not going to need it again."
Hop Pop nodded. "Come on Sprig. We got some things to bring in."
Sprig followed his grandpa outside, meanwhile, Polly waddled up to Anne "Welcome to the Planters Anne, your now a part of the best family in Wartwood."
"Well duh, that's why I choose the name." Said Anne followed by an awkward laugh
Polly was happy that Anne seemed to understand the truth, "So do you want to play something?"
"Sure," she said wanting to keep the little Polliwog entertained.
"Hide and Seek."
"Okay, You want to hide or..."
"Yes, I'm fantastic at hiding," said Polly earnestly.
She was. Once she had hidden in the house for three days before Sprig and Hop Pop found her, they cried when they found her because of course they did.
"Okay, I'll go down to the basement and count. See you soon" Truth is that Anne would be reading a magazine while she counted, Hide and seek was a little too young for her. However, she wanted to keep Polly Happy, so she agreed to it.
Anne run down to the basement, Polly smiled. she reached the lower Kitchen drawer and opened it.
IT only contained pans, and she was just small enough to sit inside one of the larger pans. Anne would never find her now. That's when she heard something from the front door.
"How can one girl who was teleported here from another world by a random cosmic accident have so many clothes on her," complained Sprig
"That's not important now Sprig, What's important is that Anne is making one of the worst decisions she's ever made."
"What, Why?"
Hop Pop Placed the bad down, "Sprig, I don't know what's going on with Anne but if Anne wants to change, well we should be to be happy for her, But she's taken on our name. That might not be the best choice."
"Hop Pop. She's basically family, Why wouldn't she change her name to ours."
"Sprig," Hop Pop sighed sounding all of his sixty-eight years. "Let's be honest here. The Plantars aren't the best family in Wartwood."
"What do you mean?"
"Well if have you hadn't noticed a lot of people think we're trash."
"Since when? We've got hundreds of people who like us."
They Tolerate us Sprig and ever since Anne moved in Frogs are seeing us as trouble. Heck even without her they'd still have a lot to complain about, We come in last in almost every contest, we're still being shamed for Grubhog day and quite frankly we'll we're not even the best farmers around."
Hop Pop sighed and sat down in a chair. "This family can be hard to be a part of."
Sprig looked at his grandfather. He knew that Hop Pop had worried about the family, but he never knew it was this bad.
"Well, there's one person who thinks we're pretty great."
Hop Pop looked at Sprig. "Who?"
"Anne. If we can get a girl who traveled from another world to like us, We've got to be doing something right."
Hop Pop smiled "Yeah, Maybe this could be the start of something better for the Plantars," He stood up." It's not as if things can get worse. I Mean we could lose the stand, that would finish us."
"Yeah, and you can get into trouble with the Toad Tax collectors."
The two laughed at those hypothetical events which could never ever happen to them.
The two left to collect the rest of Anne's stuff, when they were gone Polly poked her head out from the draw. She couldn't believe what she had heard.
Her family was convinced that the town thought the Plantars were losers. She knew the two males in her family were stupid, but she didn't know they were that stupid. They had her. She was awesome, If the Plantars were considered a joke...then that meant... She was considered a joke.
Polly shoock herself, she was being silly, There was no way that she could be a loser. She jumped back into the draw to wait for Anne.
But she still thought about it. It would bug her. She needed to ask some Plantars friends tomorrow. There was no way they would agree with her Grandfathers view.
If they did then she had no idea what to do.
….
Dinner in the Plantar house was something Hop Pop insisted the family do together, Anne was touched when she was invited to dine with them on her first night. That joy turned to disgust when she discovered that dinner was a Cricket the size of a chicken.
Anne Boonchuy of course ate the vegetables around the Main course. And vowed to never eat bugs, there had been a few accidents but so far she had not broken that promise.
Anne Plantar on the other had no such reservation. After all, if she was going to fit in at Wartwood, then she should eat whatever the locals eat.
Whatever Hop Pop brought out she was going give them tonight she was going to eat. No exception.
"Okay, Kids Tonight we're having slug pie." Hop Pop said to the assembled children.
Before Sprig and Polly could say a thing, Anne spoke up "Oh that sounds great"
They all looked at Anne like she had said she was planning on eating Bessie.
"Anne, Are you trying to say... You want to eat this?"
"Yeah, Sure It sounds quite nice."
The Plantars looked at her.
Hop Pop coughed. "Okay Anne Here's a slice," he said picking up a knife.
Hop Pop cut the pie, the steam that escaped briefly took the form of a skull, lifting it from the tin. Anne could see the bodies of a few slugs in the filling fall back into the tin. Hop Pop placed it on Anne's Plate. It smelt earthy. Anne picked up a knife and fork and started to cut one of the slugs up. She picked it up with the fork and looked at it.
"Huh, Good thing she was a Plantar," she thought "because Anne Boonchuy would have hated eating this."
She opened her mouth and placed the slug into her mouth.
The taste was like nothing she had ever tasted before.
It tasted of earth and snot. The texture was somehow almost liquid the slug just melted feeling more like snot. The thing that really got to her was the Gravy, The gravy seemed to enhance the taste. Anne felt soul Churn it was that disgusting.
She Swallowed it. part of her soul wanted to die.
"Delicious," said Anne, refusing to drop the at out of sheer stubbornness.
"Really Anne?" Said Hop Pop surprised.
"Yeah, It's … Delicious." She lied "Another slice Please" she groaned
Hop Pop gave her another slice. Then another slice and then another until she had eaten around two-thirds.
" My... Hurg... Compliments to the chief."
"Anne are you Okay?" Asked Sprig
"Sure... Just need to use the bathroom for unrelated reasons." Anne rushed out of the chair and ran away to empty her stomach for that disgusting meal, She didn't care which end it came from she just wanted it out of her.
The family sat there in silence. Sprig turned to Hop Pop.
"Huh, that's weird. Your Slug Pie is terrible."
"Yeah I mean I'd be in the toilet throwing up right now," said Polly.
"Yeah, I know. Nice to see Anne likes it though." Said Hop Pop Amazed.
