- The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf
- the Wolf and the Lamb
- the Lion the Ass and the Fox
- the Girl and the Jar of Nuts
- the Oxen and the Axle
- the old Wolf admires his Shadow
- the Frog and the Mouse
- the Jackdaw and the Fox
- the Nightingale and the Bat
- the Two Dogs
- the Boy who wouldn’t cry Wolf
- the Raindrops and the River
- the Frogs who wanted a King
- the Frog the Crab and the Snake
- the Fox the Mouse and the Grapes
- the Tortoise and the Geese
- the Birds and the Bat
- the Lion and the Hares
- Jackdaw and the Borrowed Feathers
- the Frog King and the Snake
- Jackdaw and the Pigeons
- Jackdaw and the Piece of String
- the Lion in Love
- the Wolf and the Sleeping Dog
- the Blackbird and its Wings
- the Snail the Mirror and the Monkey
- the Lion’s Breath
- the Monkey, the Goat, and the Sailboat
- the Astrologer and the Young Prince
- the Stargazer
- the Eagle and the Crow
- the Hippos at the Waterhole
- the Truce at the Waterhole
- the Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs
- A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
- the Frog and the Butterfly
- the Frog and the Flowers
- Another Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
- the Boy and the Snake
- Two Foxes and a Bunch of Grapes
- the Hare and the Hunting Dog
- the Toad and the Frog
- the Lion the Cat and the Mice
- the Fowler and the Woodpigeons
- The Tortoises
- the Angry Wasp and the Honey Bee
- the Camel Driver and the Snake
- Fall in the Garden of Eden
- A Monument for a Lion
- Two Dogs, One Bone
- the Tortoise and the Hare
The Frog and the Flowers
- The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf
- the Wolf and the Lamb
- the Lion the Ass and the Fox
- the Girl and the Jar of Nuts
- the Oxen and the Axle
- the old Wolf admires his Shadow
- the Frog and the Mouse
- the Jackdaw and the Fox
- the Nightingale and the Bat
- the Two Dogs
- the Boy who wouldn’t cry Wolf
- the Raindrops and the River
- the Frogs who wanted a King
- the Frog the Crab and the Snake
- the Fox the Mouse and the Grapes
- the Tortoise and the Geese
- the Birds and the Bat
- the Lion and the Hares
- Jackdaw and the Borrowed Feathers
- the Frog King and the Snake
- Jackdaw and the Pigeons
- Jackdaw and the Piece of String
- the Lion in Love
- the Wolf and the Sleeping Dog
- the Blackbird and its Wings
- the Snail the Mirror and the Monkey
- the Lion’s Breath
- the Monkey, the Goat, and the Sailboat
- the Astrologer and the Young Prince
- the Stargazer
- the Eagle and the Crow
- the Hippos at the Waterhole
- the Truce at the Waterhole
- the Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs
- A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
- the Frog and the Butterfly
- the Frog and the Flowers
- Another Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing
- the Boy and the Snake
- Two Foxes and a Bunch of Grapes
- the Hare and the Hunting Dog
- the Toad and the Frog
- the Lion the Cat and the Mice
- the Fowler and the Woodpigeons
- The Tortoises
- the Angry Wasp and the Honey Bee
- the Camel Driver and the Snake
- Fall in the Garden of Eden
- A Monument for a Lion
- Two Dogs, One Bone
- the Tortoise and the Hare
The Frog and the Flowers
One day a frog discovered she could grow flowers from her mouth. It was an ability as unnerving as it was unexpected. She had wanted to catch a passing insect, but instead of her tongue a delicate green shoot unfurled from her mouth. Almost instantly, the shoot grew into a wide conical stem from which a curling mass of fronds emerged studded with buds of yellow, violet, and pink.
Seemingly transfixed by the strange development, the frog stared at the plant. She did not know where it had come from. Or what it meant. She wasn’t even sure it was real. But then the flowers began to bloom and she was delighted by the spectacle, which she thought extraordinarily beautiful.
Shortly afterwards, insects began to arrive, attracted by the vivid blooms, and it was then the frog understood the purpose of her creation. It was a lure. The flowers would bring dinner to her doorstop, an abundance of tasty insects all within her reach. She wouldn’t have to move.
Her tongue twitched with the pangs of appetite.
Unfortunately, it was to her tongue the stem was tethered. Thus, as she flexed her tongue to collect the first juicy morsel, the stem was forced from her mouth and the plant—fronds, flowers and all—rose into the air and floated out of her reach. And with the flowers, of course, went the host of insects.
© Richard Parkin, 2023
One day a frog discovered she could grow flowers from her mouth. It was an ability as unnerving as it was unexpected. She had wanted to catch a passing insect, but instead of her tongue a delicate green shoot unfurled from her mouth. Almost instantly, the shoot grew into a wide conical stem from which a curling mass of fronds emerged studded with buds of yellow, violet, and pink.
Seemingly transfixed by the strange development, the frog stared at the plant. She did not know where it had come from. Or what it meant. She wasn’t even sure it was real. But then the flowers began to bloom and she was delighted by the spectacle, which she thought extraordinarily beautiful.
Shortly afterwards, insects began to arrive, attracted by the vivid blooms, and it was then the frog understood the purpose of her creation. It was a lure. The flowers would bring dinner to her doorstop, an abundance of tasty insects all within her reach. She wouldn’t have to move.
Her tongue twitched with the pangs of appetite.
Unfortunately, it was to her tongue the stem was tethered. Thus, as she flexed her tongue to collect the first juicy morsel, the stem was forced from her mouth and the plant—fronds, flowers and all—rose into the air and floated out of her reach. And with the flowers, of course, went the host of insects.
© Richard Parkin 2023