A New Little Friend

  “Little fishes swimming in the pond,” sang Midge. “Little frogs all around.”

“What are you doing?” asked Booker-T as he walked around to the back yard where he found Midge sitting beside the pond.

“Hi Booker-T,” smiled Midge. “What are you doing?”

“I asked you first,” said Booker-T. “You were singing when I walked back here.”

“Look at my new little friend,” said Midge.

“Where?” asked Booker-T looking around the yard for this new friend. “I don't see a new friend.”

“Right here,” said Midge. “Sitting on the side of the pond.”

“Oh,” said Booker-T. “That's your new friend?”

“Yes,” smiled Midge. “His name is Freddie. He is a big frog.”

“Hello Freddie,” greeted Booker-T as he got close to the frog's face.  "I'm Booker-T.”

“Hi Booker-T,” said Freddie. “You don't look like me either.”

“I'm a cat,” said Booker-T. “And Midge is a dog.”

“I'm a frog,” said Freddie.

“Are you here alone?” asked Midge.

“I found your little pond,” said Freddie. “It is nice. Can I stay here?”

“Sure,” smiled Midge. “Do you like the pond?”

“I like it,” said Freddie. “The little pond where I used to live has no water in it anymore.”

“Where did you come from?” asked Booker-T.

“Long way from here,” said Freddie. “Where do you live?”

“I live over there in that house next door,” said Booker-T. “Midge lives in this house.”

“You live in houses?” asked Freddie.

“We do,” said Booker-T. “We are house pets and live with our owners.”

“I don't have an owner,” said Freddie. “I don't have any friends.”

“Sure you do,”said Booker-T.

“No, I'm all alone,” sighed Freddie.

“You have Booker-T and I,” said Midge. “We will be your friends.”

“You like frogs?” asked Freddie.

“We like everyone,” said Booker-T. “Our other friends will be your friends too if you want.”

“Wow,” smiled Freddie. “I never met a dog or cat before. You are different.”

“That's okay, isn't it?” asked Midge. “Are you okay with us being different than you?”

“Oh sure,” said Freddie.

“Hey you guys!” called Jake as he came around the corner into the back yard. “What are you doing? I thought we were going to go to the little zoo again.”

“Meet our new friend, Jake,” said Booker-T.

“What new friend?” asked Jake.

“This is Freddie,” smiled Midge.

“Hi Jake,” croaked Freddie.

“Wow, you are a frog,” smiled Jake. “Did you come to live here in the pond?”

“Yes,” said Freddie.

“Welcome to Midge's house,” said Jake. “She will take care of you.”

“I never had big friends before,” said Freddie. “You guys are really big.”

“We aren't too big,” said Midge. “You are very small.”

“We have a small friend in the house,” said Booker-T. “Maybe we can bring our small friend out to meet you.”

“Hey you guys!” said Gabby as he swooped down from the tree. “I see you have a little friend there. Hi little one. What is your name?”

“I'm Freddie,” he said. “Are you the little friend they have?”

“Little friend?” asked Gabby. “I am smaller than they are, so I guess I am their little friend.”

“They said they had a small friend in the house,” said Freddie.

“Oh, that's not me,” said Gabby. “I'm Gabby and I don't live in the house.”

“You are a bird, right?” asked Freddie.

“Yes, that's me, Gabby, the Bluejay,” he replied.

“Wow,” said Freddie. “This sure is an interesting day. I have met two dogs, a cat and a bird. Who is in the house?”

“In the house is Snappy,” said Jake. “He is a tiny turtle.”

“I used to know a turtle once,” said Freddie.

“You don't know him anymore?” asked Midge.

“I don't know where he went when the pond ran out of water,” said Freddie.

“How did you get here?” asked Jake.

“I jumped into a box and a little boy carried the box home,” said Freddie. “I jumped out of the box and hopped here. Can I live in your pond?”

“Sure Freddie,” said Midge. “You can stay here as long as you want. We will bring Snappy out to meet you tomorrow.”

“I would like that,” said Freddie. “Do you have anything to eat here?”

“I don't know,” said Midge. “What do you like to eat? I have dog food in the house.”

“I never had dog food before,” said Freddie. “Is it good?”

“Jake and I like it,” said Midge.

“I like it too,” said Booker-T. “But at home I have cat food.”

“What do you eat Gabby?” asked Freddie.

“I like plant seeds and fruit and worms,” said Gabby.

“I like to eat worms, flies and spiders and other crawly bugs,” said Freddie.

“Do bugs taste good?” asked Midge. “I don't think I would like bugs.”

“You could try one,” smiled Freddie.

“I think I will eat my dog food and let you eat the bugs, okay,” said Midge.

“Do you have bugs in your grass I can eat?” asked Freddie.

“We have lot of bugs all over here,” laughed Jake.  "You can have them all."

“Look!” shouted Booker-T. “There goes a bug now.”

Freddie turned and saw the bug walking across the edge of the pond and suddenly his tongue came out and grabbed it.

“Wow!” said Booker-T. “You got that bug without moving.”

“Can you do that?” asked Freddie.

“No,” said Midge. “We don't eat like that. Your tongue is really fast moving.”

“Because bugs are fast so I have to be really fast if I want to eat them,” said Freddie.

“Our food don't move,” said Midge. “Our owners put our food into a bowl and we eat it out of the bowl.”

“I think that is nice,” said Freddie.

“Do you want to taste our food?” asked Midge.

“Will you give me a piece of your food?” asked Freddie.

“Sure,” smiled Midge. “Wait here and I will get you a piece.”

Midge hurried into the kitchen and got a piece of food from her bowl and carried it out to Freddie. She laid in on the edge of the pond for him to eat. Freddie grabbed the small piece of food and pulled it into his mouth.. “It is good, but I like my bugs better.”

“That's okay,” said Midge. “We have lot of bugs here you can have. Welcome to my pond.”

“Thank you for being my friend,” smiled Freddie.