The unwanted pet
‘Get away from me, dirty frog’The big teenager threw a rock at him.
Tommy the frog jumped away to the next leaf in the mucky water, wimping.
His heart felt a jab of pain. All he wanted was to play with the young boy. He looked down at his green, wet body .What was so wrong with him that all the human rejected him?.His only dream was to be the pet of a human.
‘Why don’t you just give up, Tommy’ His friend Elisa, a female frog told him.
‘The humans don’t want you anywhere near them’
‘All I need is to find just one who would like me as their pet’ Tommy replied. He looked longingly at the park where lots of people were having a picnic as it was a warm, sunny day.
There was a boy walking a dog, a
girl carrying a pet cat, and a man with a monkey on his shoulder. Tommy had seen different animals being used as pets-fishes, rabbits ,lambs, birds ,swans, horses and even pigs but whenever he tried to get close to a human, he was always rejected. Oh, how he so wanted to be a pet.
The next day, he tried again. He jumped from the lake into the grass. Some people noticed him.
‘Slimy frog’ said one.
‘Oh ,hope it doesn’t come near me’cried a short haired girl.
He lowered his head, wishing and hoping someone would pick him up.
Tommy noticed a young boy and his mother and father sitting next to an apple tree. They had a nice picnic spread with bread, sweet-smelling cheese, juice and biscuits on their picnic cloth.
Tommy crawled through the green grass and jumped into their empty picnic basket. He wanted them to take him home.
The family had a nice meal and made to pack their things.
‘Put the jam in the picnic basket’ the mom told the boy.
He made to put it in. Then he saw the frog.
‘Ew’ he said, cringing. ‘There is a frog in our basket’
‘I will take care of it’ said the father. He picked the basket and turned it opposite down over the lake.
The frog fell right into the water. The other frogs laughed.
‘Just give up on it’ Elisa frowned at him.
Tommy bent his head as tears threatened to spill.
The next day, Tommy hopped outside the park. People were passing to and fro.
He noticed a young pretty lady standing just outside the park gates, talking into a phone.
‘I would love to be her pet’ He thought to himself as he hopped close to her.


Suddenly, her blue handbag fell to the ground.
Tommy quickly clung to the side of the bag.
The lady bent to pick her bag. Then she
sighted the frog.
‘Aw’ She cried as she tossed the bag aside and ran as fast as she could. Tommy let go of the bag, his face downcast.
I believe, he told himself, that one day, I would be a pet of a human.
That evening, Tommy was playing with some other frogs when a young sandy haired man riding a bicycle rode beside the lake. He was moving so fast across that he suddenly slipped and fell right inside the lake.
He began to struggle, moving in and out the water.
‘Help’ he cried. But there was no one near to help.
‘I have to help him’ thought Tommy, hopping to where the park warden was.
Tommy croaked loudly at the old park warden ,jumping up and down. Then he began to hop back. Luckily, the warden followed him to the lake.
Breathing heavily, the warden jumped into the lake. He griped the young man and pulled him out.
‘Thank you’ gasped the young man.
‘It is okay, just try to be more careful, Jacob’ said the warden. They seemed to know each other.
The young man made to climb his bicycle.
‘Wait a moment’ said the warden. ‘There is something you should know, it is that frog over there that came to alert me to your distress’
‘Really’ Jacob turned around to look at Tommy.
‘You should take him home to be your pet’

‘Nah,I hate frogs’
‘But he saved your life’
Jacob considered this for a moment. ‘Fine, I take him along’
Tommy could barely believe it as Jacob , with a cringing face, picked him up and put him at the back of his bicycle. He wanted to jump up and down in delight.
They got to a small brick house soon. Jacob picked him up and straightway dropped him in the sandy backyard.
Tommy yelped in delight. He was a pet. He was going to live a happy life from now on.
The rest of the day passed on quickly. Tommy heard the sound of water running, the smell of bacon frying but his master didn’t come to touch or play with him. Just after Tommy saw the clock chime eight, Jacob threw bread crumbs at him through the back door then shut the door with a loud thud.
He must be tired today, Tommy nodded to himself. After all, he almost drowned. Tommy was so happy.
However, the next day passed pretty much the same. Jacob didn’t even look at him as he tossed leftover food at him. He didn’t talk to him or pet him.
Things would change, he told himself, I just have to prove myself as a loyal pet
As the days passed, Tommy looked for ways to please his master. One evening, the water began to fall from the water tank.
Tommy jumped high from the ground and put the switch off. Jacob came out with his dark-shinned friend, John.
‘What a useful pet’ John said. Tommy croaked happily
Jacob grunted. ‘I hate frogs ‘he said as they went back in. Tommy face dropped.
The next day, Tommy heard the sound of the pot of food burning in the kitchen.

He croaked loudly until Jacob came running. But Jacob only signed at the sight of the green frog as he put the cooker off.
Three days later, clouds began to form in the sky. Jacob had his clothing out.
With his mouth, Tommy dragged
the clothes one by one to the shade. Jacob came out just then.
‘Disgusting’ He said and he cast all the clothing into the dustbin while Tommy watched mournfully.
‘I have had it with you’ He told Tommy.
Tommy cried. All he wanted was to be a good pet.
That evening, John came to see Jacob again.
‘I have about had it with that
strange frog’ he heard Jacob say from the window.

‘What do you mean?’
‘He is just so ugly, I think I sell him to a restaurant and buy a dog with the money’
Tommy froze in shock. He couldn’t believe it. Jacob was going to sell him off as food. He felt his heart shatter. All his dreams of being a pet came crashing down.




Tommy felt heart-broken.
He was going to leave, he thought, rather than being made to be somebody dish. He was moving away when he noticed a tiny hole on the wall.
He pushed his hand through the tiny hole and began to search inside. And out came a sparkling diamond.
‘I have never seen anything like this before ‘He
thought. ‘I better leave it for my master’
He placed it on the stone he always sat and hopped away. He would find his way back to the pack.


Jacob returned home late that
evening. He showered and made to climb into bed.
‘Oh my, I forget to feed that cursed frog’ He said aloud and made for his back doors instead.
He opened the door to toss out some cheese and looked. There was no frog. Instead there was a diamond lying on the stone.
He froze for a moment then regained
himself. Long ago, his home and its surrounding had been a diamond mine. But it was so long ago. He had never thought that there would be any diamond left.
He felt a rush of happiness. A smile broke across his face. He was rich. Then he felt a stab.
The frog, the frog he treated so badly must have found it. He had done bad things to the pet but the frog had only ever paid him with good .
He would find him ,he decided and give him a home. Not just as a pet but as a friend. He picked up the diamond and put it carefully in his back-pocket.
Jacob rode his bicycle and made directly for the pack.
He looked through the grass, searched the river and all the surroundings but didn’t find Tommy.
Finally, he sat by the lake.
‘Are you looking for him?’ It was the park warden carrying Tommy.
Jacob signed in relief.’ ‘Thank you so much’ He said as he took the pet fondly. ‘I am so sorry, Tommy’ He petted the little frog. ‘I treated you so badly despite the fact that you saved my life and now you even helped me get sudden riches’
The frog croaked.
‘Everything is going to be fine now’He said as he carried the frog home, riding his bicycle.

Two months later
‘Time for tea’ said Susan, Jacob new fiancée as she came into the room.
Jacob nodded from where he was bathing Tommy.
‘I and Tommy will be down soon’ he said fondly.
Susan nodded. ‘You always take sure good care of your pet’
‘That is because he is such a great pet’ He smiled as he picked Tommy up and put him on his shoulder. Tommy yelped in delight.
Outside, in the park, a lot of people were surrounding the park warden.
‘All we want is a frog for a pet’ one said.
‘Cant you help us get one?’ asked another.
‘There are no more frogs here, there have all been taken away as pets already’ said the park warden. Everyone had heard about how a frog had saved Jacob life and even found him a diamond and now they all wanted one.

And Jacob, Tommy and Susan lived happily ever after.