A funny audition
By dawn, next morning, the king had given orders that a great audition is to take place. They even brought in the kingdom’s best pianists, violinists, and singers to check which frog had the most talent. When all the frogs had been organized, they took them in turns of ten, to one big room. There stood ten soldiers, and one general.
“Soldiers stand up straight! Form a single file line! Hold your frog in front in your left hand!” shouted the general.
In front of the soldiers, the best musicians sat behind a large desk, and opened their ears wide and stood ready to judge the frogs for talent.
“Bring out the harmonicas!” commanded the general. One small soldier went to a cupboard and took out a burlap sack with ten harmonicas, one for each frog.
“Hurry up, soldier!” shouted the general.
The soldier rushed to hand them out, one per man and frog. Then the general walked up and down the line, carefully inspecting each soldier. Each man stood tall with frog in one hand and harmonica in the other.
“First solder up!” commanded the general.
The first solder walked up in front of the musicians and gave the harmonica to his frog. But the frog dropped it immediately! The soldier picked it up and tried again. But again, the frog dropped it!
“Soldier! This is shameful, to the end of the line,” commanded the general. “Second soldier up!”
The second soldier walked up in front of the musicians and gave the harmonica to his frog. But the frog dropped it immediately.
“End of the line soldier!” commanded the general. “Third soldier up!”
The third soldier walked up to the musicians and gave the harmonica to his frog. But again, it was no use! The frog dropped it immediately.
Soon enough the soldiers and the musicians saw a problem; and a big problem it was. None of the frogs could even hold the harmonica, let alone play it! No matter how hard each soldier tried to help his frog to hold it, the frog would not, or could not do it. It was like a newborn baby, who is not capable of holding his own spoon.
These frogs were the most ordinary frogs in the world! And so, the whole day went in each of the ten rooms, for ten hours straight. Every single frog was tested. Not a single frog could hold the harmonica. All they were good for was croaking. The fort was more like a zoo than an army fort. By sunset, one of the king’s most trusted knights visited the king in the castle.
“Sir, what say you about the frogs?” asked the king
“I bow before you my gentle master, but none of the frogs have any talent.”
“Not even a little?”
“I’m afraid not, my lord. They cannot even hold the instrument,” said he humbly.
“But my daughter is lying ill! The doctors can do nothing for her. The musical frog is my only hope.”
“I’m sorry, your highness, but the old lady may have misled us.”
The king stood thoughtful, looking at the moon from the castle window.
“My lord what do you want us to do with the frogs? The fort has become a zoo and is no place for a serious army.”
“Take the frogs back.”
“Now?”
“No, in the morning.”
The soldiers woke up early next morning, after a rough night’s sleep. Some of them had not slept at all owing to the bothersome croaking of the frogs. So glad were they to be rid of the frogs, that they even skipped breakfast in order to start packing them. They gladly dumped all the frogs into large sacks and tied them with rope. They loaded them in neat rows onto the horse drawn wagons. Then the generals ordered them in line, and they marched alongside the work wagons back to the forest.
“Good riddance to bad garbage,” they let out with a collective sigh of the frogs who if anything were ruinous to health by their noise. They opened the large sacks and the frogs happily leapt out and into their beloved home, the stream.
The Sisters Visit
One day, as they had often done throughout her illness, Princesses Elsa and Marianne visited their youngest sister. They consoled her, they comforted her, and they gave her heart. But good words, though soothing, were not enough. They alone could not cure her. So, Elsa got an idea. There, as the three of them were sitting alone around Anja’s sick bed in her room she said.
“Anja, I have a plan, Marianne and I are going to seek the musical frog who cures people for you.”
“No,” said Anja, “Don’t trouble yourselves for me, my sisters. No one can find him.”
“No, Anja, don’t say so. We can.”
“The whole army couldn’t find that frog. How can you?”
“That’s because the knights aren’t your family. We are your dear sisters. We love you; we understand what hurts you, and we know how to help you better than they ever could!”
“Thank you, dear sisters, but how are you ever going to convince dad? He would never let you go into the forest alone.”
“Never you mind about dad. We will talk to him. We will tell him how we feel. We will tell him that we believe we can find your cure.”
“Thank you, dear sisters! A sister can help a sister like no one else can. I had lost all hope for life but not anymore. I have total faith in both o you! I trust you,” said she and her laid to the side and fell asleep.
When Elsa and Marianne saw Anja doze off, they got up. Carefully, so as not to awaken her, they walked out. They shut the door to her room, relieved in knowing she was sleeping peacefully. Then they both rushed down the stairs, jumping them two at a time and headed into their father’s, the king’s chamber.
They knocked on his door eagerly, urgently, and loudly.
“Daddy,” they screamed, “daddy, let us in.”
The king got up from his desk where he was writing some important documents.
“What is it my dear girls?” asked he opening the large wooden doors. “What is it that has you excited so?”
“Daddy,” Marianne, the elder sister spoke, “Elsa and I are determined to help Anja.”
“How so?”
“We are going into the forest to find the musical frog.”
“My beloved daughters,” the king replied, “I sent the whole legion into the forest to do that. And they found nothing. If my large army working hard from sun-up to sundown couldn’t find the musical frog who can heal, then how possibly can you? You are but two young women.”
“Daddy,” said Elsa, “your soldiers did not know how to find the frog because Anja is not their sister. We believe we can find the frog because Anja is our sister. We know deep down how to help our sister better than they ever could! We believe that we shall fare better in seeking out the frog because we love her.”
“My daughters,” said the king, “I love Anja as much as you do… and I wish to heal her too, but I don’t believe I am able to find the musical frog. Besides, I don’t want you to go into the forest. Don’t you know a forest can be a dangerous place? You could get lost. There are wild animals in the forest. There could be wolves. There could be bears. There could be poisonous mushrooms. I don’t want you to be exposed to the dangers of the forest.”
“No daddy, deep down we truly believe that we can find the musical frog all because we love Anja,” said Marianne
“My dear daughters, you will get tired, and it will be all for naught. You will come back disappointed and empty handed.”
“No daddy, please!” echoed Elsa “listen to us! We can do it! All that we ask is that you give us a chance. Just one chance.”
The King looked down in thought and considered his daughters heartfelt pleas.
“OK, my daughters, I will give you a chance.”
“Yes!” Marianne and Elsa jumped for joy! “Thank you, daddy! We love you so much.”
“But on one condition,” said the king, “you must take a nature guide with you and two of my most trusted knights for protection.”
George Shetuni 