The Frog Princess by E. D. Baker

Author:E. D. Baker
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Social Issues, Humorous stories, Animals, Princes, Frogs, Royalty, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, Fiction, Fairy Tales, Biography & Autobiography, Fairy tales, Witches, Princesses, Humorous fiction, Frogs & Toads, Folklore & Mythology, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance
ISBN: 9781582349237
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Published: 2004-09-15T10:00:00+00:00

Twelve

Eadric and I hurried now; we could see the castle from the top of the hill and were eager to reach it. Farmland lay on both sides of the castle road almost as far as the gates. Behind the castle lay the swamp.

We had started down the hill and were passing one of the ancient oaks when we heard the angry buzzing of flies. Although we had both eaten before starting out that morning, Eadric was determined to investigate. I followed him, hoping that I could persuade him to come away. We found the flies along with a few scraps of fur and a scattering of grisly bones—all that was left of some unfortunate forest creature. The flies clustered on the remains, their black bodies glistening blue and green in the sunlight.

"Please don't stop now," I said to Eadric. "We've almost reached the road!"

Eadric smacked his lips, obviously more interested in catching flies than in anything I might have to say. "I'll only be a moment. Why don't you have some, too? There are plenty for both of us!"

"No, thank you," I said. "I'm riot hungry." The thought of eating flies that had just crawled on carrion turned my stomach.

Unable to watch, I headed toward the road, hoping that Eadric would soon catch up. I had climbed halfway over a broken branch when something plucked me from the ground and flipped me over onto my back, squeezing the breath out of me. Screaming was impossible, for I didn't have enough air in my lungs to do more than grunt, but I kicked and thrashed about, frantically trying to free myself. Suddenly, I was flipped over again and found myself face-to-face with Fang. Eadric was right! I thought. How could I have ever trusted a snake?

Caught in the scaly coils, I was sure that I was looking at death itself when I noticed that the snake was no longer looking at me. Its eyes were fixed on something behind me, something that hissed and made the dead leaves rustle with its passing. The pressure on my body grew unbearable as the coils tightened. Then, in an instant, I was tossed aside like rubbish. I flew through the air and would have kept on going if I hadn't hit a tree, slid down the trunk, and landed on my back with my legs sticking up in the air. Partially stunned, I turned my head and looked back the way I'd come. Much to my surprise I realized that there were two Fangs, or at least two snakes that looked like Fang, coiled together in a silent battle. I tried to scoot backward, hoping that neither one would notice me. Writhing, the snakes twisted around until they were facing each other.

"Why, Fang, sweetie, is that you?" said a feminine voice. I noticed for the first time that the snake that spoke was smaller than the other, her body slimmer, her markings slightly different.

"Clarisse?" said the larger snake in a voice that I recognized as Fang's.

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