The Castle in the Pond, Part 5
March 16, 2025 — 8:07pm
Dear Reese,
We start bathtime with the third task from The Great Bullfrog (after a quick recap).
She’s still misty eyed from the charm you brought her that reminds her of her sweetheart, but then her gaze goes steely. “Croak. Croak. You’ve shown persistence and cleverness, young one, but now I must test your strength. Show me your mettle against my fiercest warrior . . .”
The water she rests in starts to stir and The Great Bullfrog leaps up to a high perch as giant jaws emerge from the deep. The Fierce Croc of the Pond, a crocodile five times your size, snaps its teeth and you barely dodge out of the way. Your duck companion shrinks back to a corner of the room and yells “Run!” but you will not leave this task undone.
(Our prop: your crocodile bath thermometer. As the crocodile emerges, I make my arms into jaws, showing you the snapping motion and you shriek in delight.)
At first, you can only dodge as The Fierce Croc thrashes about chasing you. But you watch closely. Then you find the right moment and you’re able to leap up and grab hold of its snout, barely missing its sharp teeth as you swing yourself onto its nose and then crawl up its back. You hold on tight when you reach its tail and then you bite.
You have teeth of your own, darling.
You bite and bite and The Fierce Croc howls! When you’re eventually thrown off, The Fierce Croc attacks with more vigor, but you’ve had time to figure out a plan. You lead The Fierce Croc in circles, round and round, tighter and tighter, until the circle you’ve twisted into is so small the next time The Fierce Croc snaps its teeth you jump up out of the way and it bites down on its own tail! Ow!
Shrieking, it retreats into the water and out of sight.
(At this point darling, you’ve started dipping your lower face into your bathwater, apparently taking a sip, and then sitting up to cough and hack. This is not enough to deter you from trying it again.)
There is silence at The Fierce Croc’s defeat. The water is still. You wait for a reaction, any reaction, from The Great Bullfrog as you stand breathing hard, half-drowned, in the dim light of the amphitheater-like room.
But when you look up to find her, The Great Bullfrog is gone.
Love,
Mama