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* Andrea Alemanno * A surprise for Lady Lily *

Sir Frog was by no means the first to leap upon desperate measures for the perfect anniversary gift. But would this surprise mean a happily ever after for Lady Lily?

A surprise for

Andrea Alemanno

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Once upon a t ime , there was a beautiful pond, hidden in the middle of a forest and surrounded by thick shrubs. The frogs from the county would meet there every day to splash about, hop and sing . . . And anyone who took a closer look would immediately notice the handsome Sir Frog and his bright green beloved, Lady Lily.

Sir Frog and Lady Lily were the perfect couple. They were always laughing and having fun, and they constantly found new things to do, from swimming among the lily pads . . . to the thrill of speeding along on the back of a snail!

And, in a few days, they were planning to celebrate their anniversary . . . “It won’t be easy to find exactly the right gift for her,” thought Sir Frog. And while he racked his brain to figure out the perfect present . . .

. . . Lady Lily pretended not to notice, but she was eagerly looking forward to her frog’s surprise. In her little room, surrounded by posters of her favorite Prince Charmings, she daydreamed about every possible gift: caramelized flies, dragonfly tutus, a dinner illuminated by fireflies . . . “Whatever it is, I’m sure it will be perfect since it’s a gift from Sir Frog,” she sighed.

The days went by, but Sir Frog simply couldn’t come up with the perfect idea. Everything seemed too ordinary for his beloved . . . Finally, the night before their anniversary—and he was desperate by this time—he saw a wrinkled poster announcing: “SINCE I HAVE LOST A BET, I, MADAM GOLDENMOUTH, WILL OFFER KISSES TO THE FROGS OF THE COUNTY FROM DAWN TO DUSK ON THE FIRST FRIDAY IN MAY” “But that’s tomorrow!” exclaimed Sir Frog excitedly. “That’s the perfect surprise for Lily!”

Therefore, Sir Frog set out before sunrise. The castle was on the other side of the forest, but he hoped to get back in time to celebrate their anniversary. Hopping and jumping, he headed towards the castle, but when he approached he saw that countless frogs were already there, waiting for Madam Goldenmouth’s kiss.

“Oh no!” he thought. “It seems that a lot of froglets wait for a surprise today . . .”

The hours came and went, but the line advanced at a snail’s pace, as dashing young men emerged from the castle, running and leaping happily. It would be dark soon, but it still wasn’t Sir Frog’s turn yet . . .

Lady Lily was very excited about her first anniversary with Sir Frog and waited patiently, getting sadder and more worried as the day went by.

When night fell, Lily continued to gaze tearfully at the horizon, refusing to go to bed.

It was finally Sir Frog’s turn. He hopped onto the stage set up for the occasion and leaned towards Madam Goldenmouth for her eagerly awaited kiss. A rather ungracious duchess who clearly had not expected all these frogs to show up, she unceremoniously planted a kiss on his forehead and . . .

o Po F!

Sir Frog was instantly transformed into a handsome Prince Charming, all dressed up with shiny boots, hose and a belt.

The journey home seemed shorter than he rememberedÂ .Â .Â .

. . . and when he finally knocked on Lady Lily’s door, her tears of sadness turned into tears of joy. Her frog had turned himself into Prince Charming just for her! And they lived happily ever after . . . Well, not quite! Lily was moved by Sir Frog’s gift and was proud of the handsome prince he had become—all her friends were green with envy— but something wasn’t quite right . . .

For example, when they went to the pond for a picnic of flies, Lily caught every single one, but, since he didn’t have a long sticky tongue anymore, Sir Frog couldn’t catch anything . . . and to think that he was the one who had taught her how to do it!

So Lily got on the seat, her legs in the air. But when Sir Frog pushed her, the swing flew up so high that Lily was scared to tears!

Seeing that his gift was turning out to be a flop, Sir Frog said, “Why don’t we try playing on the swing? I’m no good as a frog, but maybe you can be a wonderful maiden!”

Between sobs, Lily looked up at him in astonishment. “But you were already just what I wanted!” To console him in turn, she kissed him gently and . . .