Ribbit

"Ribbit!"

"Ribbit!"

"Ribbit!"

"Ribbit."

Conversation, Chrisfrog thought, was limited when you were Leptodactylidae*. It lacked nuance.

"Ribbit!"

Justinfrog leaped high as he ribbitted. Across the pond, legions of girl frogs quivered with awe. They always did, Chrisfrog thought morosely. Even though JCfrog leaped even higher, and had prettier markings.

"Ribbit!"

Of course, plenty of females quivered for JCfrog, too.

"Ribbit!"

And Joeyfrog, though he ribbitted less prominently, had a salientian allure that ensured him plenty of girl frog adoration of his own.

"Ribbit!"

But Justinfrog always got the most.

"Ribbit!" Look at me see my big smily mouth sexysexysexyMe!

"Ribbit!" Hear me ribbit see my big shinysexy eyes see me jump!

"Ribbit!" MeMeMe bigstrong sexy boyfrogthighs get your tadpoles here!

Was this it? Was this the sum of anuran life? Was there nothing more?

"Ribbit," said Chrisfrog, half-heartedly.

It wasn’t a bad life, by the pond. Plenty of flies to eat, and nothing much to do besides the nightly chorus. Things could be worse. They could be eaten by storks, or Frenchmen. They could be lacquered and posed on a shiny staircase**.

But...

"Ribbit!"

"Ribbit!"

"Ribbit!"

All he asked was a little variety. Really.

"Croak," said Chrisfrog, in a spirit of irony.

"Brooooaark."

Whoa! Where did that come from? Chrisfrog rolled a bulbous eye round to survey the newcomer. A large watery green orb eyed him indifferently, and the stranger’s tongue shot out, captured a passing insect, and zapped back into his broad, smily mouth.

The newcomer’s eyelid slid into a sly wink, and his throat puffed large for another mighty bellow.

Chrisfrog’s little amphibian soul thrilled.

Now, that was nuanced.

* New World Frogs

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