THE PEPPERMINT FROG
 

                                                                 by
                                                            Claudia
 

    Jonathan knew that Albert the frog had to be somewhere in his bedroom.  He looked
under the bed, in the closet, on top of his dresser, everywhere, but Albert was no where to
be found.

  "Where do you suppose he could be?" he asked his mother as he ate breakfast.

  "I don't think he could have wandered very far, you'll find him after school," his mother
answered.  "I'll look while I clean the house this morning.  Don't worry."

    Before he left for school Jonathan looked one last time in the little house he had
carefully built for Albert.  Albert wasn't hiding behind the rocks, or under the leaves or
sitting in his pool of water.  Where was he?

    The school day seemed very long to Jonathan because he was thinking about Albert.
He missed three spelling words and couldn't figure the answer to four
addition problems.  He had to find Albert.

  "Timmy," he asked his friend.  "Want to come over my house and help me find Albert?"
Jonathan thought two more eyes would be a help in finding Albert.

   "Sure," Timmy answered.  "You got any of those good cookies your mother makes
sometimes?"

  "I suppose," Jonathan answered.  "But finding Albert is much more important than eating
dumb cookies."

    Jonathan and Timmy ran up the walk and into the house.  They tossed their book bags
on the sofa.  "Mom, Mom," Jonathan yelled.  "Did you find Albert?"

  "No Jonathan, I didn't," his mother answered.  "I can't imagine where he might be."

    Jonathan and Timmy had milk and cookies before setting out to find Albert. They
wiggled under the couch, behind the curtains, in the kitchen cabinets and still no Albert.
Jonathan felt like he wanted to cry.  Albert was his best friend and now he was lost.

  "Let's go up to your room and look again, maybe he came back," Timmy suggested.

    The boys trudged up the stairs to Jonathan's room.  Timmy opened the door and went
in first.  "Jonathan," he yelled.  "Look what I see."

    Jonathan rushed in after Timmy and looked.  There, sitting on Jonathan's neatly made
bed, with his eyes closed and sleeping happily, was Albert.  He was squatting in the middle
of the pillow and looked very comfortable.

  "Albert," Jonathan cried.  "Where have you been?"  He rushed to the bed and cradled a
sleepy Albert in his hands.  He held the fat frog up to his face and noticed something
sticky and pink on his little frog lips.

  "Yuck," Timmy said.  "What's that stuff all over his face?"

    Jonathan touched Albert's face with his finger and brought it to his mouth to taste.  "It's
peppermint," he said.

  "Peppermint?" Timmy asked.  "Where would he get peppermint?"

  "I don't know, who cares as long as he's safe," Jonathan answered.

    Jonathan put Albert carefully back in his house.  "Now you stay there and be a good
frog," Jonathan said.  "I'll bring you some bologna for supper."

    After telling his mother that they found Albert, Jonathan and Timmy went out in the
back yard to play.

    The next morning was Saturday and Jonathan slept late.  He woke with the sun shining
through the window and onto his bed.  He stretched and rubbed his eyes.  Saturdays were
always lots of fun.  He climbed out of bed and walked over to Albert's house to say good
morning.  Albert was gone again.  How in the world could he keep getting out of his
house, Jonathan wondered.

    Once again Jonathan looked under his bed, in the closet, in the toy chest but Albert was
no where to be found.  Jonathan wasn't as worried about his friend as he was the day
before.  Yesterday, Albert had found his way back to Jonathan's room and he probably
would do it again today.  But where did he go and why did he have peppermint on his
face?  It was very puzzling.

    After breakfast Jonathan went to the mall with his mother and had his favorite
hamburgers for lunch.  He was tired when he got home, his mother had made him try on
eleven pairs of shoes before choosing the right ones.  He walked up the stairs with his new
Star Trek Action figure and into his room.

    There sat Albert on his pillow looking all sleepy and happy.  "You're a naughty frog,"
Jonathan said as he picked Albert up.  Once again Jonathan could see that Albert had
sticky pink stuff all over his face.  Albert opened one sleepy eye and seemed to grin at
Jonathan.

    That night, after saying his prayers and climbing into bed, Jonathan looked over at
Albert's house.  He could see the frog sitting on his rock, wide awake.  I wish he would
sleep the same time I do, Jonathan thought as he drifted off to sleep.

    The next morning Jonathan woke very early.  The sky was barely turning pink outside
his window but there was enough light to see in his room.  He sat up quietly and looked
over at Albert's house.  The fat little frog had just jumped over the side of his house and
plopped on the floor.  Jonathan was quiet, he wanted to see where Albert went on his
adventures.  Albert hopped quickly to the bedroom door and eased his way through to the
hall.  Jonathan was close behind making no noise to let Albert know he was following.

    Albert hopped down the hall, past Jonathan's parent's room, past the guest room, past
the bathroom and stopped in front of the big storage closet at the end of the hall.
Jonathan hid behind his mother's big plant and peeked out at the frog.  What was he
doing?   He certainly seemed to know just where he was going.

    Albert wiggled and squiggled his little body through the tiny opening where the closet
hadn't been closed all the way and disappeared.  Jonathan came out from behind the plant
and walked to the closet door.  He stopped, thinking that it would be dark inside the
closet.  He ran back to his room, got his flashlight and ran back to the closet.  He flipped
on the light and quickly opened the folding door.  He flashed the light inside the closet,
going from corner to corner.

    There sat Albert, blinking in the glare from the flashlight.  He was sitting on top of a
small size box that was labeled "Xmas".  Jonathan laughed. He could see part of a red and
white striped candy cane sticking through a hole in the top of the box.  Albert's face was
smeared with sticky stuff again.

  "Albert," Jonathan said picking him up.  "You've been sneaking out of my room every
night to eat candy haven't you?"

    Albert grinned a sticky froggy grin.  Jonathan reached in the box and pulled out what
was left of the candy cane.  He showed it to Albert.  "From now on, I'll put a little piece of candy in your house every night.  That way you won't have to hop down the hall and maybe get lost or hurt.

    Albert seemed happy with that idea, he'd never have to do all that hopping again to
have a piece of candy.  He could devote his frog time to just eating it.
 
 

                                                                                 end