Leap Day 4: The Planters' Leap Day
Anne saw Hop Pop, Sprig and Polly on the floor of the house. Hop Pop was sitting on the couch, reading a book.
"Hello, guys!" Annie greeted them. The frogs looked at her.
"I think you mean, sawatdee!" Hop Pop told her. She smiled.
"Oh, I see you're learning Thai. That's nice." Sprig jumped over to her.
"Not only that." He said. "But so much more! It's different depending on your gender."
"And the locals refer to the capital. Bangkok,"…" Hop Pop began. "As Krungthep, 'the city of angels', or the world's longest city's name…" He took a deep breath before continuing. "Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahinthara Yutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom Udom Ratchaniwet Mahasathan Amonphiman Awatansathit Sakkathattiya Witsanukamprasit." Hop Pop panted to get his breath back.
"Wow, Hop Pop!" Anne observed. "You said that all in one breath? I'm impressed. Not even my parents can do that and they were both born there."
"Hop Pop's been practicing." Sprig said to her. "He's been waiting for this moment."
"I told him it was unnecessary." Polly spoke up. "But he didn't listen and just wanted to be a show-off."
"So, what else did you guys learn?" Anne wanted to know.
"We learned that many actors and actresses live here." Hop Pop explained to her.
"And how Hollywood and stories portray frogs is all wrong." Polly put in. "Because kissing male frogs will not turn them into princes."
"They're stories." Anne told her. "They're for entertainment purposes, make-believe. They're not supposed to be taken seriously."
"You should have told that to the kids who got salmonella when the movie came out."
"We also learned that California has more people than Canada, 'Eureka' is its motto, is home to the world's tallest tree, has 100,000 earthquakes each year, has 'watermelon snow', has over 300 ghost towns and more!"
"Ohh, ohh, Anne!" Sprig said. "We also learned about 'Leap Day.'
"Oh, yeah, February 29th. That's coming up. Tomorrow in fact."
"Yeah, every four years. Wow; a day that comes every four years must be pretty special here. What do you guys really do that day?"
"Nothing really. It's just an extra day. We treat it like any other non holiday." The frogs were all shocked at this.
"What?! You gotta be kidding! You mean you don't do anything?"
"Well, maybe for some places and for the people who have their birthdays that day."
"Gosh; I can't believe you don't do anything special."
"So, you don't have a day off from school?" Polly wanted to know. Anne frowned.
"Unfortunately not. We definitely should, but we don't." She then smiled. "But this year we do because the last day of February ends on a Saturday this year."
"Humans probably don't do anything special, because they leave it to the frogs." Hop Pop told the two frog children.
"That's righ…wait, come again?" Hop Pop looked at Anne.
"Oh, Anne, don't pretend you don't know. Leap Day, frogs, frogs leap, why am I explaining this to you? It must be an Earth frog holiday."
"Uh, I don't think so. The frogs on Earth are just frogs. They don't talk. They do whatever frogs do like people and other animals. They don't care about days. They are just trying to get by in this crazy, messed up world. Ergo, they don't do anything to celebrate."
"That's a bunch of bullfrogs!" Sprig cursed. Polly and Hop Pop gasped.
"Sprig!" His grandfather scolded him. "Language!"
"Sorry, Hop Pop." Sprig apologized to him. He looked at Anne. "It's too bad that you guys don't do anything special for a day that comes once every four years." Anne frowned.
"Yeah, it is too bad. But don't let me stop you guys, if you guys want to do something special, assuming we're still stuck here, do whatever you want on the day."
"Like teaching humans everything about frogs and why they should appreciate them?" Hop Pop asked.
"Sure, just wear your disguise when you do it. Also, don't do anything too crazy." She left the room.
"Well, I'm going to ask for some paper from the Boonchuys. I'm going to write a report on frogs and tell the humans all about our amazing species. You kids have fun! And remember, like Anne said, don't do anything too crazy." He, too, left the room. Polly looked at her brother.
"You're thinking of something too crazy, aren't you?" She questioned.
"You know it!" Sprig told her. "Polly, the frogs around here need to know of this special day and celebrate it." He then had an idea.
"Uh-Oh! I know that look. What crazy idea do you have?
"And what a better way to celebrate than a party?" Polly got excited about this.
"A party?!"
"Yeah, a party with every frog that we can find. It can be in Anne's backyard." Polly thought about this.
"Oh, I don't know about this. Sounds pretty wild and maybe a bit irresponsible. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm in!"
"That's the spirit, Polly! This will be the best Leap Day ever! The frogs will remember this day for years to come! Just don't tell Hop Pop, Anne, or her parents."
"Understood! My lips are sealed!"
Both Polly and Sprig talked to every frog that they could find and invited them for a party in the Boonchoy's backyard on February 29th. Polly wanted to make fliers, but Sprig told her that there wasn't time. Polly then realized that even if they did, the frogs wouldn't be able to read them, so it might have been a waste anyways. After a while, Polly realized something.
"Hey, brother?" Polly questioned him. Sprig looked at her.
"Yes, sister?" He wanted to know.
"How do we know the frogs here can understand us? Like what Anne said, they're not like the frogs back home. They haven't spoken a word to us. I'm beginning to think that they can't understand our language. We may be wasting our time with this whole thing." Sprig sighed with a frown.
"You may be right about that, sis. Oh, man! I didn't even think about that." He then smiled. "But, let's just keep asking and seeing the results." Polly looked at him like he was nuts.
"What?! Sprig, what if February 29th comes and no one shows up? We may be setting ourselves up for disappointment. We should throw in the towel and quit while we're ahead. This was a very dumb idea."
"It's not a dumb idea."
"You're right. It's a stupid idea."
"Those mean the same thing, and no, it's not. Polly. We're just scratching the surface here. We just asked frogs nearby. We need to ask more frogs and the more frogs we ask, the more likely at least some will show up."
"I don't know about that."
"It'll work, just trust your older brother. It has too! February 29th doesn't come too often. What do we have to lose?" Polly looked at him and smiled.
"You're right." She decided. "What the heck!" This time, Sprig smiled.
"That's my sis!" And so, the brother and sister frog duo walked on.
Anne walked in on Hop Pop who was finishing his report.
"Hey, Hop Pop!" Anne said. "How's the report going?" Hop Pop looked at her and smiled.
"Very good, Anne. It's some of my best work if I do say so myself."
"Oh, well, that's good. But, uh, don't try to get your hopes up if no one wants to listen." Hop Pop was confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, like I said, February 29th is going to fall on a non school day. After the final bell on Friday up to Monday morning, human kids' brains will be shut down. They won't want to learn. They want to do other fun stuff."
"Oh, don't be melodramatic, Anne. Their brains won't be shut down for the whole weekend. They will be happy to learn all about frogs. I bet after I'm done with them, they will know everything they need to know about frogs. They might learn stuff that schools won't teach them about frogs."
"Well, it is true that schools don't teach you everything and they teach you stuff that you don't really necessarily need to know and leave out the stuff that you do. Sasha said her older adult cousin told her that. My parents have a person to pay for their taxes. But schools have other stuff to teach children than just frogs."
"Which is why they need a frog expert like me to do it for them, and who better teach human children about frogs than a frog himself?"
"I hear you, but how are you even going to do this?"
"I plan to talk to any kid I come across to that day and read them my report all about frogs."
"Well, good luck. Like I said before, don't get your hopes up. You are teaching on a Saturday."
"Thanks for the worry, Anne, but don't worry about it. You just let me deal with it when the time comes, but I'm telling you, a lot of eager minds will want to know all about frogs and will learn those facts from the very best."
"Ok, cool."
"So, where are my grandkids? I would like for them to hear my report as well as you and your parents."
"I don't know. I haven't seen them since we talked about Leap Day."
"Well, I suppose they are somewhere in the house. Since they're not here at the moment I can practice with you and your parents. Do you think they can come and listen to an old frog for a bit?"
"Sure, but uh, do you really need to practice? You know all about frogs already, and this isn't school. This isn't going to be graded." Hop Pop gasped.
"Anne, I am surprised at you. Of course I need to practice. Practice makes perfect; you know that. I know that this isn't a school project. I still could screw up. That's why I need to practice as much as I can. I want it to be perfect for my audience."
"Okay, but… you know what? Never mind. I'll go get Mom and Dad." Hop Pop smiled.
"Thanks, Annie." Anne smiled back.
"Anytime, my frog man!" Wow; that sounded weird. It sounded better in my head, but, whatever! She then left.
Sprig and Polly walked in the Redwood Forest, inviting every frog they saw. The sun was setting.
"It's getting late, Sprig." Polly said to him. "And we invited a lot of frogs, maybe every frog in this forest. Hop Pop will wonder where we are. I think it's time to head back."
"Hmmm, you're probably right there, sis." Sprig said, stopping. He then smiled. "Yeah, I think that's a good idea. We invited enough frogs for tonight. Let's go home." Polly smiled as well. The two were about to head back when they heard a voice.
"What a bunch of funny looking human kids you two are." The young frogs both looked and gasped. There in front of them stood a heron! But Sprig pretended to be brave.
"Funny looking human kids?" He asked with a nervous laugh. "That's a funny thing to say. Why do you say that?"
"I saw plenty of human children all of my life, but none quite like you two. In fact, I don't think you two are human kids at all."
"He's onto us!" Polly whispered to her brother. "Run!"
"Not yet," Sprig whispered back to her. "I'll handle this." He looked back at the heron. "What do you mean we're not humans? Of course we're humans, why wouldn't we?"
"Well, for one thing, you are talking to me and I'm talking back." Sprig gulped.
"He got you there, Sprig." Polly said to him.
"Secondly, you two are out here talking to every frog that you see. I saw everything."
"Well, maybe we're obsessed with frogs." Sprig told him. "Humans like us can like frogs."
"Yeah!" Polly agreed. "We humans have plenty of interests, and we happen to like both frogs and forests." The heron gave them a wicked grin.
"I think it's more than that." Polly looked at his brother.
"I think we better run, Sprig."
"I think you're right on that, Polly." Her brother agreed. With that the two frogs ran away screaming. The heron flew after them.
Back at the Boonchuy's, Hop Pop was getting worried.
"Where's Sprig and Polly?" He asked. "You don't think they went outside, do you?"
"Not without their disguises, I hope." Anne stated. "I'll help you look."
"We'll go too." Mrs. Boonchoy added.
"We will?" Her husband wanted to know. "But it's dark out!" Mrs. Boonchoy glared at him. "I mean, we will, even in the dark!" Hop Pop smiled.
"Thanks, guys! You are all so generous to do this." Mrs. Boonchoy smiled.
"Of course, Old Frog." She told him. "If it was Anne out there, we'd want to do whatever we can to find her too."
"Even if that means looking for her in the dark!" Mr. Boonchoy put in. They were all about to head out, when all of a sudden, Polly and Sprig burst into the door. They were both panting. The elder frog looked mad and folded his arms across his chest.
"Sprig! Polly!" Hop Pop scolded. "Where have you two been?! We were just about to look for you two! Someone, please, speak up! Right after one of you catches your breath so we can understand." Polly and Sprig both frowned after getting their breaths back.
"We're sorry we're so late, Hop Pop." Sprig apologized. "We just lost track of time."
"And that is when we saw a heron!" Polly added. "Delaying us further." Hop Pop's eyes widened.
"You saw a heron?! Just out near Anne's house or did you guys go even further?" Both young frogs grinned nervously.
"Sorry, Hop Pop." Spig apoligized again. "We want further."
"It was Sprig's idea." Polly told him. "I tried telling him not to go further, but he wanted to go further." Sprig glared at his sister.
"I did not!"
"I don't care whose idea it was." Hop Pop said. "You two know the rules. I am deeply disappointed in both of you!" The two kid frogs frowned.
"Sorry, Hop Pop. It won't happen again."
"Until it does." Polly said. She saw Hop Pop's glare and sighed. "Fine, sorry. We won't travel far from Anne's house again without you or the Boonchoys ever again." Hop Pop smiled.
"Good." The elder frog spoke. "But the important thing is that you two are safe and out of harm's way. Wait, you two are out of harm's way, right? The heron didn't follow you guys here, did it?"
"Uh, no?" Sprig said, not really sure.
"That's good." Mrs. Boonchoy stated. "I would hate it if a heron was here terrorizing our backyard."
"And just waiting to terrorize you nice frogs." Mr. Boonchoy added. "That'll also be bad."
"Well, you two are still grounded." Hop Pop told his grandkids. "Go to Anne's room." Sprig went slowly to Anne's room. Polly stayed behind.
"But I'm not grounded like Sprig is, right, Hop Pop?" Polly wanted to know. "I am five after all."
"Nice try, young missy, but you're still grounded like your brother. You have legs now, so you're growing up." Polly groaned.
"Aw, come on! That's not fair!"
"Polly!" Polly sighed.
"Ugh; fine! I didn't know my legs would be a blessing and a curse at the same time." She went up as well.
"I never had much experience with being grounded." Polly began when she went to Annie's room with Sprig already there. "But I hate it already!"
"Well, hate to tell you sis," Sprig told her. "…but it all gets worse from here." Polly looked at her brother.
"That heron wasn't really chasing us anymore, was he?" Sprig shrugged.
"To tell you the truth, I have no idea. I hope not. Otherwise that'll be really bad."
"Yeah, real bad." She then changed the subject. "So, do you still think any frogs will show up tomorrow? Do you think we invited enough frogs?" Sprig shrugged as well.
"Don't know." He admitted. "But, like I said before, I say we asked plenty. We won't know until tomorrow. And since the heron understood us, there's a chance the frogs did us well."
"Yeah, you're right about that."
"Of course I am. I am your big brother, so I know more than you."
"We know that's not true."
"I'm going to pretend like I didn't hear that."
"Whatever." She changed the subject. "But, Sprig, we are still grounded "
"Polly, tomorrow's February 29th, Leap Day. A day that doesn't come too often. Do you really want to look back on this special day and tell your future kids that you literally didn't do anything on Leap Day 2020 because you were grounded?"
"Well, no, but…"
"No buts, Polly. Sometimes you just have to risk things in life and give it a shot or regret it forever. We may never spend another Leap Day in Anne's world ever again. Plus, we can't let the frogs down!"
"Those are very good points." Sprig smiled.
"That's my sis!"
"Anyways, that's very bold of you to assume that I'll have kids of my own someday."
"Well you might. I might too."
"And we might not. You don't know."
"You're right I don't. I shouldn't have assumed."
"Then why did you?"
"I don't know."
That night, Polly and Sprig were about to go to bed when Hop Pop came in.
"Kids," He began. "I'm sorry that you're spending your first and probably only Leap Day in the human world being grounded."
"So, you are going to lift it?" Polly asked with hope.
"No, you're still grounded." Polly frowned. Hop Pop frowned as well. "Listen, kids, I hate grounding you guys. I really do. But it's not my fault, you know."
"We know, HP." Sprig said. "It's ours." Hop Pop sighed.
"You kids will learn when you're older and have kids of our own."
"Why is everyone assuming we'll have children someday?" Prolly questioned out loud. "Not everyone has kids. We will have kids when we have kids. I'm only five. I shouldn't even be thinking that far ahead yet."
"You're right, Polly. I shouldn't assume."
"You're darn right you shouldn't!"
"Hop Pop?" Annie asked when she laid in her bed. Sprig and Polly were already sleeping. Hop Pop looked at her.
"What is it, Anne?" Hop Pop wanted to know.
"Do you think your grounding might be too extreme?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I checked the Internet and it says that the older the kids are, the more time they get for being grounded. Even when I was younger and I would get in trouble, my parents would start with small punishments for me and as time went on, the punishments get more and more extreme."
"I appreciate what you are saying, Anne, but we aren't humans like you. And I'm certainly not going to let a human machine tell me how to parent…or in this case, grandparent. I will do it how I dilly dang want." Anne sighed.
"Fair enough. Sorry I asked."
"It's quite alright, Anne. Now, goodnight. I don't know about you, but I have a big day tomorrow, so I have to get to sleep."
"Good night, HP." And with that, the two went to sleep.
The next day, the Planters all woke up early. Hop Pop was confused that his grandchildren were up.
"Kids?" He asked. "I didn't expect to see you guys up so early. Since you two are grounded, I thought you would sleep in, since you two can't go outside."
"Not even to eat mosquitos?" Polly questioned. "Wow, Hop Pop! You are so mad at us that you are going to starve your beautiful grandchildren? Our parents would be so mad at you."
"I was going to bring you guys the trash bags and let you guys lick up the bugs that got attracted to them."
"You were going to bring the trash bags in here with the bugs?" Sprig also questioned. "No offense, HP, but I think the Boonchoys will be mad."
"No, I was going to open the window and let you guys lick up the bugs from the window." He then sighed. "You know what? I changed my mind. Come outside with me."
"YAY!" Polly cheered.
"Don't cheer, Polly." Sprig told his sister. "There's probably a catch. We most likely have to come straight inside afterwards."
"Sprig is right, Polly." Hop Pop stated. "After your breakfast, you guys come inside directly." Polly was disappointed.
"Aw, man!" The young tadpole whined. "That's so not fair!"
"Sorry, but that is what grounding is Polly."
"You will get used to it." Sprig told her. Polly eyed him.
"What do you mean 'I'll get used to it'? Are you saying that I'll get into trouble again?"
"No." Sprig lied. He looked at his grandfather before Polly could say something more. "So, are you doing something today, Hop Pop?"
"Yes." Hop Pop said. "As a matter of fact, I am. I am going to inform the city kids on everything they should know about frogs."
"So, you're leaving the house for a period of time?"
"Yes, why do you ask? That concerns me."
"He's right, Sprig." Polly said. "That does sound a bit sus." The two looked at Polly, "What? I've been learning human slang."
"I got stuff to do anyways. So, even though that is a bit concerning, I'm going to do my thing anyway."
"You do you, Hop Pop."
"And we'll be good little froggies and stay here." Sprig added. Hop Pop smiled.
"Well, let's go get our breakfast before the garbage truck comes and takes it away." The kids agreed, and they left Anne's room.
Mr. Boonchoy was throwing the last of the trash bags away when the Planters approached them. He looked up at them and smiled.
"Well, good morning, frogs!" He greeted them.
"Good morning, Mr. Boonchoy!" Hop Pop greeted back. "Kids, what do you say?" The kids both wished Anne's dad a good morning. "So, throwing the last of the trash bags out?"
"Yeah. I thought all of the bags were out, but, somehow, I missed this one. I figure I better do it before the truck leaves and before my wife yells at me."
"Good thinking."
"Are you froggies out here for your breakfast?"
"You know it!"
"The flies sure are buzzing and are flying around the bags like crazy, so you guys are in luck! We are so lucky to have your frogs here to eat all of our unwelcome pests. I'll leave you guys to it then; they'll all yours to enjoy!" He headed towards the house.
"Thanks!"
When Mr. Boonchoy left, the Planters had their breakfast, grabbing the many flies with their long, sticky tongues.
"Well, I'm off to educate the children of Los Angeles. California!" Hop Pop said, waving goodbye to the kids as soon as they were back inside. "Enjoy your grounding!" Polly groaned.
"Hop Pop!" She complained. "Were you never grounded? It's not supposed to be fun."
"Oh, well, don't enjoy it! I'll be back in a few hours!" He then left. Sprig looked at his sister.
"Ready for a hopping good time?" He asked her. Polly grinned.
"You know it!" She said back.
Polly and Sprig waited in Anne's backyard for the guests to arrive, staying away from the windows so the Boonchoys' won't see them. The two waited…and waited…and waited. So much time passed, and yet no froggy guests. The only frogs were Polly and Sprig.
"I knew no one would show up." Polly said. "This was a stupid idea."
"Maybe they got lost?" Sprig suggested. But one look from his sister told him everything. He sighed. "Yeah, this was a stupid idea. We should have made fliers instead like you wanted to prevent this."
"No, that was a little smart because they might not have been able to read them." Sprig thought about this.
"Oh, yeah, good point." He then changed the subject. "Let's go inside and just be grounded."
"Is this Anne's place?" Someone asked. Polly and Sprig turned around and saw a family of frogs. Behind them were even more frogs. They both smiled.
"You came for the party!" Sprig said with glee. "And you can understand us after all just like I knew you would! I mean…" He cleared his throat. "Welcome, welcome!"
"We hit the jackpot!" Polly stated. Our party begins now; yahoo!"
"Not really." The frog told them. "We came to escape the heron." The kids were confused.
"What heron?" Sprig wanted to know.
"I think they're talking about us." A familiar voice spoke. All of the frogs looked. Sprig and Polly gulped. Standing in front of them was the heron that they saw yesterday. And he wasn't alone. Two other herons were with him.
"Sprig?" Polly spoke up.
"Yeah?" Sprig questioned.
"I think I much prefer being grounded over this."
"Yeah, me too."