This Feels Familiar

"-And they say that these creatures looked just like newts but were four times as big with long claws, sharp fangs, and dry armored skin like a centipede!" Polly said dramatically to the small group of tadpoles before her. One gasped and nearly fell over in her bucket. Frobo caught it just in time and patted the tadpole lightly on the head.

"What happened next?" A little blue tadpole asked, raising his hand.

"We'll never know." She shook her head seriously, "-Because that was the last time we ever heard fro-"

"Are you telling people I'm dead again?" Sprig asked as he walked over to the fountain and gave Polly a look. She avoided his eyes.

"What? No, of course not." She said, waving a hand dismissively.

"I mean, we kinda almost died." Ivy shrugged as she leaned on Sprig. The tadpoles gasped in unison.

"But we didn't!" Sprig added quickly.

"And that's enough story time for one day." Maddie said, taking over. The tadpoles groaned but followed Maddie as she ushered them back down the street.

"Aw man, well that killed the vibe." Polly said, stepping down from the fountain's edge. "So how long are you two back in town for?"

"I don't know, maybe a couple of days or a week or two." Sprig said as he looked past Polly to the statue of Anne.

"We heard rumors of a couple of Moss Men sightings in the western forests. We figured we should stock up before heading out again." Ivy added. "Plus we can catch up with everyone while we're in town."

"Yeah." Spring said, lost in thought. Ivy leaned over and kissed him on the cheek, breaking him out of his trance.

"Speaking of which, I'm going to check in on my mom. I'll catch up with you later?" Ivy said, punching Sprig playfully on the arm. He grinned and nodded. They shared a quick kiss before she left.

"Ew. You're like an old married couple." Polly teased and made a face.

"Maybe because we are married." Sprig said, rolling his eyes. Polly gave him a hug.

"I'm glad you made it back safely, even if it does ruin my story telling." Polly said, nudging him in the ribs.

"Wow, thanks." He said sarcastically as he ruffled her hair. "I missed you too." He admitted. His gaze drifted back to Anne and his expression fell. Polly followed his gaze.

"You alright?" Polly asked awkwardly.

"Yeah, it's just…" He trailed off, "It's harder to come back each time."

"Hey, it's okay." She said sitting down on the fountain's edge and patting it for her brother to join her. "I miss her too. Sometimes I think about packing up and leaving town like you do on your adventures with Ivy."

"So why don't you?" Sprig asked as he sat beside her, "You could easily be one of the best engineers in Newtopia. Or even a professor at the University." Polly twiddled her thumbs.

"I," Polly started and frowned, "I can't."

"Why not?"

"Ever since Hop Pop…" She cleared her throat and fought back the tears that were welling up. She took a breath and tried again, "I can't leave him." Sprig reached over to wipe away her tears.

"Can we go visit his-?" Spring couldn't finish the sentence. He rubbed his eyes quickly. Polly nodded and stood up. She held a hand out to her brother. He took it.

"Hey Frobo, do you mind giving us a lift?" Polly asked. Frobo smiled and picked them up before leaping into the air. They flew over the town and headed for a small clearing by the edge of the forest. A moment later they landed. Polly hopped down and pressed a button on Frobo. A bouquet of flowers popped out. Sprig blinked.

"Oh frog! I didn't think about bringing-" He said in a panic and he started patting himself down. Polly thrust half of the flowers into his hand.

"Here. I don't think he'd really mind if we brought anything, just as long as he knew we would visit." Polly said with a half smile. They walked forward. A large flat stone marked the spot. Several flowers and small trinkets lay around it. Polly removed the withered flowers and replaced them with the fresh ones. Sprig stood frozen to the spot. Polly put a hand on his shoulder. "Would you like some time alone?"

"Yeah, I-I just need a minute." He sniffed. Polly nudged Frobo and they headed in the opposite direction. Sprig knelt down and added his flowers to the rest. "I'm sorry I haven't visited in a while. I wish I could tell you about all the adventures I've been on." He laughed as tears rolled down his face, "I think some of them would remind you of our time with Anne. Remember when-" A rustling in the distance made him pause. "Polly?" He asked and looked around. She and Frobo were nowhere in sight. The rustling continued. Sprig got to his feet and reached for his slingshot.

"Hello?" He called out as he took a step forward into the forest. He could hear what sounded like footsteps. "Moss men?" He looked down and noticed unusual imprints in the soft ground. His heart skipped a beat. A blur of movement caught his attention. He hesitated for a moment before running forward. He pushed through a thicket of bushes and looked around quickly. He saw what looked like a familiar outline crouch behind a tree. "Anne?" The figure froze before poking their head back around to look at Sprig.

"Oh! A human!" He said and took a step forward. They withdrew slightly. Sprig stopped and held up his hands. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. My best friend is a human."

"There's other humans here?" The boy asked cautiously.

"Well, no. I mean, at one point there were, but that was a long time ago. That's how I met my friend. She was transported here by a music box, which is also how we sent her back home." Sprig said as he tried to get a better look at the boy, "How did you get here?"

"I-I don't know." He said, stepping out slowly, "But can you help me get back home?" Sprig stared at him for a moment. He reminded him of Anne but with a few differences. He had the same messy hair full of leaves but it was shorter and blonde instead of brown. He had the same lanky body and what looked like Anne's eyes.

"Of course!" Sprig said and stuck his hand out. The boy reached out to take it but hesitated at the last moment.

"You aren't poisonous by any chance?" He asked suspiciously.

"I don't think so." Sprig said, "Not to humans anyway." The boy grinned and shook his hand. "Oh wow! That's a strong grip."

"Sorry!" He said quickly and let go. Sprig heard the boy's stomach growl loudly.

"Let's get you some human food in town. If I remember correctly it takes you humans some time to get used to eating bugs."

"You have people food?" He said as his stomach growled again, "I was honestly ready to eat bugs at this point."

"We can get those too!" Sprig said as he led the boy out of the forest. They reached the clearing and Sprig spotted Polly and Frobo in the distance. He waved to them before turning back to the boy, "I'm Sprig by the way. Sprig Plantar."

"Oh! I'm Troy. Troy Boonchuy." He said with a smile.