CRISTOPHER WEBTOE
The sun shown brightly down on Green Forest as Christopher
Webtoe, the little frog, happily hopped along. He had no plans for playing and
having fun yet, so he busily searched for something to fill his day.
As he hopped along, Christopher admired all the beauty of Green
Forest.
He was glad this was his home.
Christopher Webtoe was very proud of his home. He was proud
of his hop, too. He thought there was nothing in Green Forest that compared
to his hop. He could hop really high and really far. Christopher Webtoe's hop
made him feel as if he were special.
As Christopher looked around, he saw the bright colors
of Green Forest. Fallen leaves from the trees sprinkled the ground. Toadstools
and mushrooms sprang up here and there. The flowers of plants rose above
him.
When he hopped above the flowers, Christopher could look
up and see the leaves that had not yet fallen from the trees.
He wondered what it was like to be that high in the sky.
Along his way, Christopher hopped over logs and branches which
had fallen. In some places, he hopped through patches of tall grass, growing
in open areas not hidden by the maze of tree branches above. Here, where
the grass grew thick, he could see the forest and the sky only when he hopped
higher than the tallest blades, and even then, only for an instant.
While he hopped through one of these patches, Christopher
saw a flash of green and gold to his right that hopped much higher and much
farther than he did.
This looked like someone who might fill the fun part of his
day.
Curious, Christopher hopped in the direction of the green
and gold flash to get a closer look. As he nuzzled the grass apart with his
snout to take a peek, he recognized the green and gold flash.
Christopher saw the way Frederick hopped, and he noticed how
his leap helped him move quickly and get a better view of the land during his
search for food. Christopher also noticed that Frederick used his wings to help
him hop high and far.
Christopher Webtoe did not want to bother Frederick, since
he looked very busy, and probably wasn't in much of a playing mood anyway, so
Christopher continued his search for fun.
As Christopher Webtoe left the grassy patch and headed through
the trees, he came upon some old logs that had piled up one on top of another
as they fell. This looked like a challenge for his hopping skills.
Christopher started to back up so that he could get a fast
start for a great big hop over the logs, but almost as soon as he began, a furry,
gray and white blur almost crashed right into him!
The speeding blur went by so fast it knocked him right off
his course, spun him sideways, and made him land in the middle of a big pile
of leaves with a clumsy kerplunk!
Christopher grumpily poked his head out of the leaves to see
what had happened.
Christopher never saw anybody hop so fast! Bonnie's
powerful hind legs helped her zoom and zig-zag through the forest, so that she
could get places really quickly. Bonnie had a tiny bit of straw in her mouth,
so Christopher knew she must be hurrying to make a new den for her babies.
That thought made Christopher happy, because her baby bunnies
would soon become his new playmates.
After Bonnie hopped out of sight, Christopher noticed it was
beginning to getting dark, so he decided he'd best hop towards home.
As he went, Christopher thought about the special ways that
both Bonnie and Frederick hopped.
They could both hop higher and farther than he could, so Christopher
Webtoe began to worry that maybe he wasn't so special after all, and the idea
made him feel a little sad.
But, then, after a moment, he realized that his kind
of hop was different than Bonnie and Frederick's hops.
Frederick had wings to help him jump, while Bonnie had big,
strong legs. Christopher himself though, had webbed feet, just like flippers!
His flippers not only helped him jump, they gave him great balance, and they
helped him swim really fast in the water!
But this time, his pride felt different. While he realized
that he was special, now he knew that Bonnie and Frederick
were special too, each in their very own way!
It was Frederick Springfield, the grasshopper, in search
of food for his big family.
That fast-moving bit of fur had been Bonnie Luckyfoot
the bunny, zipping away, and boy, was she hopping!
Christopher Webtoe decided that he was special,
after all, and his proud mood returned.
This made Christopher feel good about all of his friends in Green Forest.
Green Forest is a very nice place to live, decided Christopher Webtoe, and he hopped his way home, feeling a little happier, and jumping just a little bit higher.
Illustrations:
Interim illustrations: Courtesy of Bedtime Story
About the Author: -
Randy Sultzer is an engineering manager who has worked for the US Navy for the
past 9 years. He has always enjoyed writing, but started to develop it as a
second career in 1992. Since then, He has had several poems and short stories
published within anthologies and magazines across the country. Randy and his
bride Tamara, are experiencing the excitement of sharing life together.
You may contact Randy Sultzer at eppie@aol.com
NEW WORDS in this story:
Maze: A very confusing path, one where you can't see far enough ahead
to easily find your way.
There was a maze in the Tri-Wizard Tournament in one of the Harry Potter movies.
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