Caleb the Frog
Every frog, snake, gator, that was young in Swampville loved to play…
Especially Caleb.
Caleb loved to be outdoors playing baseball. Whenever he was indoors,
he was busy thinking up some fun new game.
But there was one thing Caleb didn't like to do. He didn't like to clean up
after himself. He was a very messy and lazy frog.
One day his friends came to the door. "Can Caleb play?," asked Marie
Lou the snake. With her was Billy Bob the gator and Sally Rae the
dragon fly.
"Sure can, but only after he cleans up that mud pie of a room," croaked
Mama frog. "Can you tell him that we will be at the mud spot waiting
for him," squeaked Sally Raeu as the three walked away.
Caleb went to Mama frog. "Who was that, mama?," asked Caleb
enthusiastically. Mama smiled and replied, "It was your friends, and the
only way you are going to play is if you go up stairs and clean that mud
pie of a room."
Caleb slowly walked up the stairs grumbling the whole time. While
cleaning up his room, he thought of his friends playing.
He looked around his room and mumbled, "this will take forever." All of
a sudden Caleb smiled. He quickly ran to the closet and started stuffing
the closet with his junk.
He ran downstairs shouting, "Mama I' m off. Mama began to say
something, but Caleb was already out the door.
Once Caleb arrived at the mud spot his friends were packing up.
Ribbit Ribbit, where are you going," croaked Caleb. His friends
answered back, "it's getting late, you took too long. We'll play
tomorrow."
Caleb went hopping off slowly and sad.
The next morning Caleb's friends came over and asked, "Hey wanna go
and play baseball"
Let me ask my mama if I can... She said I could, let me get my bat, I'll
meet you at the spot."
Caleb went to his room and tried to find his bat. He looked high and low
but couldn't find it.
Ma, do you know where my bat is?" "No honey, look again maybe you
skipped over it."
Caleb hopped back up the stairs and scurried to the closet. Forgetting he
jammed his things in the closet, he yanked open the door and was
instantly smothered by his junk.
"Eeeeh, ribbit," he choked while digging his way out of the mess.
He frantically searched through all his treasures scattering things here
and there, accidentally throwing his bat across the room.
As the bat was in midair he lunged for it realizing almost to late that,
that was what he was digging for.
Grabbing it between his toes, he jumped down the stairs almost
knocking over Mama frog as he raced out the door.
Once he got to the spot, his friends told him, "Honey child, you take too
long finding things maken it so its time to leave.
The next morning he invited his friend over to play.
Sally Rae fluttered into Caleb's room and Marie Lou slithered up the
stairs and hissed as she entered his room, "what a pigpen!" Billy Bob,
the gator, stretched his neck and sighed with disgust.
Caleb said, "don't worry. We can still play," as he began to look for his
games. All his friends pitched in but all they could find was a room full
of games with missing pieces.
Caleb felt ashamed and a big tear dribbled down his leathery cheek.
His friends hurriedly left the room, feeling sorry for their friend but
disgusted that he was such a slob.
"Mama," he cried, "my friends don't like me anymore. Sniff, sniff. We
couldn't find any whole games to play and they went home."
Mama frog said sternly, "if you get your room together, then you could
play and have more time for fun."
Caleb hopped back upstairs to clean his room.
"Ribbit, ribbit, its clean," he croaked.
Ring, Ring. "Caleb you little critter friends are on the phone." "Hey, you
all wanna play baseball?, asked Caleb.
He raced down the stairs and hopped out the door to meet his friends.
"Hey, you guys!" "Hey Caleb, its about time you can play." they replied.
"Ribbit, mama we all had so much fun, from now on I'll have a clean
room." "I'm a glad you all had fun, now get up stairs and into bed."