The Frog Princess Read Online Free PDF

me again, you'd feel better," said Frog, leaning toward me.
    "What?" I said, so surprised that I stopped crying. "Why would I want to do that?"
    "It might cheer you up."
    "I don't think so!"
    "Well, then, maybe we'd be lucky and it would reverse the spell."
    "And maybe we'd be unlucky and something worse would happen, although I can't imagine anything worse than being turned into a frog." I began to sniffle again.
    "So!" Frog said quickly. "You said you're hungry. Now, that's something we can fix."
    "What do you eat?" I asked, rubbing my eyelids with my fingers.
    "Whatever comes along. Just watch me. You'll get the idea."
    Frog hopped to the tip of the log and sat motionless. He sat still for so long that by the time he finally made his move, I'd become bored and fidgety and almost missed seeing what he did. A dragonfly about the length of a grown man's thumb zigzagged past the end of the log. Without warning, Frog leaped, opened his mouth, and flicked out his tongue. Before he hit the water, Frog had curled his tongue back into his mouth, dragging the dragonfly with it.
    "You expect me to do that?" I asked incredulously when Frog rejoined me on the log.
    "Only if you want to eat," Frog replied, licking his lips. "Look," he said, holding up the dragonfly's wings. "Aren't they beauties? If we were near my pad, I'd add them to my collection."
    "You collect those things?"
    "Are you kidding? I'm becoming quite an expert, if I do say so myself. My collection is probably the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Now look over there. See that big, juicy fly headed this way? Go ahead, I'll let you have it."
    "I'm not eating a fly!" My stomach churned at the thought.
    "You will when you get hungry enough. Watch me. I'll show you one more time."
    "You can show me a million times, but that doesn't mean I'm going to do it. Isn't there anything else to eat besides bugs?"
    "Hmm," said Frog. "I'll tell you what. I know a spot where there's lots to eat, but we're going to have to swim to get there."
    "Fine with me," I said. "As long as I don't have to eat flies."
    Frog grinned. "Stay near me and do what I do." He hopped to the edge of the log and plopped into the water. I followed close behind, worried that I might lose sight of him.
    With Frog leading the way, we headed back downstream. Swimming with the current was much easier, and I was surprised at how quickly we reached the pond. Suddenly, Frog motioned for me to stop, and even though I couldn't understand why, I remembered my promise to follow his lead. Sneaking a look past him, I saw what he had already noticed. A hungry heron stood at the edge of the water, searching the reeds for a likely meal. The bird towered over us, with its long, sticklike legs going on forever. Placing his finger to his lips, Frog signaled me to be silent. I nodded and followed him around the opposite edge of the pond.
    We dove deep, staying out of sight near the bottom, skirting the water weeds that grew thickly on the sunny side. We were still hiding from the heron when a shadow blocked the sun. I looked up to see a large dark shape gliding through the water over our heads. A golden circle dangled from its mouth, glistening in the morning light. Suspended from the circle, little shapes twinkled in a familiar way.... It was my bracelet! I lurched forward, determined to retrieve my property, but Frog grabbed my arm and held me still until the shape had passed out of sight.
    Pent-up anger and frustration propelled me to the surface when Frog finally let me go. "Did you see that?" I asked after taking a quick breath of fresh air. "That big animal—what was it?"
    "An otter," replied Frog.
    "It had my bracelet—the one my aunt gave me! We have to find that otter! I need that bracelet and I have to get it back!"
    "No, you don't. Don't you know anything about otters?"
    "Of course I do. My aunt Grassina told me all about them; where they live, how they play ..."
    "How they eat frogs ..."
    "They eat frogs?" I