The Silly Cat
The Silly Cat....
Hopper the frog lived near a pond in a large backyard with a lot of his frog family and friends. He had devised a plan for escaping old Toby's paws.
Toby was the family's fluffy white cat who loved to pounce on the pond frogs. He would saunter down to the pond in the late afternoon just when he knew the frogs were coming out to munch on some tasty insects and he would chase the frogs all around the pond. The poor frogs couldn't eat in peace.
Hopper watched every day as Toby chased his friends and family around and thought to himself "one day Toby, I'm gonna trick you for all the pouncing you do".
The wily frog had managed to escape Toby's clutches by staying in the pond until well after dark and then coming out to eat whatever he could find....but he was tired of hiding.
His plan was simple.....
One day he sat at the edge of the pond awaiting Toby's arrival. As the shadows grew longer and the sky turned red, he spotted Toby strolling down, menace clear in his eyes.
"Hopper!", exclaimed his mother, "Toby's coming straight at you! Get out of there!!"
"Relax mom", answered Hopper calmly. "I know what I'm doing". He felt a burst of confidence at his bold strategy.
Closer and closer Toby came, licking his paw and smacking his lips....The other frogs skipped about but Hopper remained still.
"Mmmmeow....I'm not gonna have any fun this evening", the feline complained. "Why don't you jump around a bit so I can get some exercise?".
"Oh, I promise you'll have a ball of a time", the brave frog quipped.
Toby suddenly leapt towards Hopper who jumped out of the way and into the pond just before Toby's wicked claws landed on the spot he had been on a moment ago.
Hopper landed on a lily pad that had just grown out of the pond. It was the only one. The lily pad shuddered as he hopped on to it but remained afloat.
Toby was mad. He sat at the edge of the pond and swished his tail angrily.
"Oh, no!" cried Hopper. "My leg is hurt. Toby I'm not playing any more. Please don't hurt me" Hopper cried.
Everyone looked on in horror from their hiding places. Was this the end of Hopper? Was Toby going to get him?
"Meowww....Things are not so purrrfect anymore are they little frog?" Toby gleefully asked. "I'm afraid I have to come and get you, just to prove to these other frogs that I am the boss and no one else should try a crazy stunt like that again."
After carefully considering his aim, Toby leapt after Hopper.......
A gasp went through the air as the other frogs looked on helplessly.
But just as Toby was about to land on the lily pad, Hopper made a flying dive into the pond. He was safe in the water and Toby had landed on the lily pad.
What Toby hadn't considered however, was that the lily pad could hold up a tiny frog but a big fat cat was another story....and so Toby shrieked in terror as he splashed into the water.
He came up sputtering and bedraggled.
The frogs came out of their hiding places and laughed at the sight of the drenched cat.
You see, cats hate the water and Hopper had noticed that Toby never chased any frogs into the pond. So when he saw the lily pad growing out of the pond, he hatched a lovely plan to trick old Toby. Hopper became a legend among his family and friends for saving them from the menacing cat.
Toby was so ashamed of being outwitted by a little frog that he never came near the pond again. And to this day he still has nightmares about falling into the water!.......
