Princess of Frogs, Toads and all creatures that Hop

so this week was unbearable and then the car wouldnt start going home, causing me to miss little monkeys dance recital. she was more worried about me, than her dancing so i felt even worse. a good friend suggested i write a story for her, so, without further adieu, here ya go...

In a very hot place, in a very tiny house, there lived a princess. She spent days making magic, art and music and playing with creatures big and small. The Princess was known as Emma Delaney, ruler of all frogs, toads and creatures that hop. A pretty girl, Emma had curly hair and blue eyes and understood the importance of glue sticks and glitter. Emma liked things that were green, not because she really liked green, but because in her kingdom, she knew the frogs would be offended if she didn't. When she traveled, she took her favorite creature, Kiwi (named for a fuzzy brown fruit that was green in the middle). Kiwi liked to hop. Kiwi sometimes got out of hand, hopping and hopping, higher than Emma's head.

"Kiwi, you are a silly hopper." She said.

"Emma, you are a silly girl." Kiwi told her.

"I think that you should teach me to hop as much as you." Emma said to Kiwi one afternoon over gingerbread and punch.

"It's all about the shoes, really." Kiwi lifted one of her four legs to display for Emma her sequin covered shoes.

"Those are some nice shoes there Kiwi. Where in the kingdom did you find them?"

"I got them from Old Toad. He wanted the cheese and bread I was carrying home one day. It seemed like a good idea until I got hungry later." Kiwi picked up another piece of gingerbread and gobbled it down.

Now Emma was known as ruler of all frogs, toads and creatures that hop, but the truth is, she really wasn't fond of toads. They farted a lot and had bad breath, which according to her mom, the Queen of the Universe, were not very good manners. She really wanted some good hopping shoes but wasn't sure it was worth it to have to pay a visit to Old Toad who lived in the hall closet.

"Kiwi, can you show me how to hop like you? Maybe I am a good hopper and I don't know it? Maybe I don't NEED those hopping shoes?"

Drinking her fourth cup of punch, Kiwi stopped briefly to wipe the bits of gingerbread off her mouth. "Yes, Emma Delaney, let's have a hopping lesson. Would you like to change out of your beautiful fairy dress before we begin?"

Emma looked down at her dress. It was a pretty dress, this was for sure. It had been given to her by her fairy friend, Destiny Michelle. Destiny would understand the importance of good hopping and she did look smashing.

"I think the dress will HELP my hopping. Let's go!"

Kiwi and Emma ran from the tiny house down the lane and turned right by the bent old tree and headed down the hill to the meadow in the forest. Once they got to flat open grass, Kiwi became very serious. Emma giggled because she thought it was funny that Kiwi was her teacher. Kiwi burps a lot which might be okay in some kingdoms, but was generally discouraged in this one…unless of course you could burp the alphabet, in which case there was a trophy to earn.

"Okay, Miss Emma Delaney, put your feet like this." Emma copied Kiwi's movements, giggling still because she thought Kiwi should have on glasses and a ruler.

"Now put your hands on your waist and bend a little at the knees. Hold your mouth like this."
Emma was laughing so hard, she felt like she was going to fall over and get mud on the pretty fairy dress.

"Kiwi, I can't make my face look like that! That's goofy."

Kiwi stood straight up. "Little girl, do you want me to teach you or not?" She was very serious now.

"I'm sorry, okay, feet like this, hands here, knees bent, face like this." This time, it was Kiwi to laugh so hard she started rolling around on the ground.

"Okay Emma," she said, "That IS goofy, skip that part."

They got into position minus goofy faces and Kiwi started to count.

"One, two, and on three Emma, push everything in your body up to the sky. Okay, one, two, THREE."

Emma and Kiwi hopped high, above the grass, above the bushes, up as high as some of the trees could go. When they came down, they landed upside down, in the mud but laughing still.

"That was AWESOME Kiwi."

"You are a mighty good hopper Emma Delaney, ruler of frogs, toads and all creatures that hop. And you didn't even need the fancy shoes." Kiwi was now on her back, sticking all four sequined feet in the air.

"That was a close one Kiwi. I'm glad Old Toad loves his house in the hall, but I didn't want to have to go by there since it's well, smelly."

"Me either, Emma. He would talk me out of more food and I just don't like that. Speaking of which, can we go back and see if there is any punch left? I would really like some to wash down more gingerbread with."

"Of course Kiwi. I always have more gingerbread and punch for you."

So the Princess of frogs, toads and creatures that hop, walked out of the meadow, back up the hill, onto the lane and down to the tiny house and shared more tasty treats with her favorite hopping friend.

The End