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| He looks normal enough until he starts talking. |
Regina frowned at the canvas in front of her. This piece was supposed to be about the creek behind her house and how it slid through and around all obstacles, but her painting wasn't showing that. Regina stood up and stretched. There had to be a way to get her intent into this painting somehow. Regina walked over to the creek and bent over to look at it more closely.
The water moved quickly, and this time of year it was usually cold. Regina was just glad it hadn't rained recently or the creek would be a muddy mess. Suddenly, Regina felt something slide out from behind her ear and fall in front of her. Regina muffled a curse. That paintbrush was brand new.
She reached into the creek with both hands, but she couldn't find it. Regina was finding increasingly creative swearwords when someone said, "Um. Excuse me?"
Regina looked up. There was no one there. She turned around and there was no one in the yard either. "That's weird," Regina said. Maybe she needed to take a break.
"I'm across the creek," the voice said. Regina looked across. "Down here." Then a frog was waving at her.
Regina stared at the frog. "I've never seen a frog wave before," she muttered.
"Or heard one talk, I bet."
The frog's lips had moved. He had talked. Right?
"Look. Don't freak out. We're wasting time. I can get your paintbrush back."
"You can?" She'd had to work too many hours at the store to buy that brush only to lose it on the first day.
"Yes, but you have to let me live with you for three days if I get it for you."
"Live with me?" Regina asked. "What do you mean?"
"Eat with you, share your bed..." The frog looked at her. "Not like that! I'll stay on my side. I'm a gentleman."
"Who is a frog," Regina pointed out.
"Look, do you want your paintbrush back or not?"
Regina hesitated, but how bad could it be to live with a talking frog for just three days? "Fine."
As soon as Regina spoke, the frog jumped off the bank and into the creek. Regina watched him swim away but of course he had excellent camouflage. Regina waited. She rolled her shoulders and looked back at her painting.
Eventually, the frog came swimming up with the paintbrush in his mouth. Regina had a sudden image of him as a dog and she couldn't help but laugh.
The frog hopped onto the bank and set the brush next to him. "Excuse me. Was something funny?"
"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just you looked... Never mind. Thank you for getting my paintbrush back."
Regina reached out for it, but the frog put his hand over it. "Our bargain?" he asked
"Of course," Regina said. "I'll take you inside. I can't do anything else with that today anyway."
The frog removed his hand from her paintbrush and looked over at the painting. "You're very talented," he said.
Regina looked up from examining her paintbrush and blushed. "Thanks. I'm not really selling much yet."
"You will," the frog said and looked at her. "What's your name?"
"Regina. What's yours?"
The frog thought for a moment. "Just call me Frog," he said.
"That's easy," Regina replied, putting her paintbrush away. "Let me just tidy up here and we can head in."
It didn't take long for her to pack everything up and grab the painting. Regina hesitated and looked down at Frog. "Do I need to carry you or...?"
"No. I can walk," he replied stiffly.
Regina raised her eyebrows and looked away. "He's touchy," she thought. Regina shrugged and headed inside.
She left the door open behind her while she set everything down and put the painting out of harm's way. About the time she was done, Frog hopped over the threshold and into the house. Regina shut the door behind him.
"So, uh, this is my house. I mean, I rent it but..." Regina looked around. "This is my studio. It used to be a porch, but someone closed it in. It gets great light and it looks out on the backyard with that beautiful creek." She realized who she was talking to. "But I'm sure you know all about that. Um. In here is the kitchen." Regina led Frog into the kitchen. It was strange that she felt self-conscious about her house. He was only a frog. "I know it's not that nice but..."
"You've made it yours," Frog said. It was true. Regina had gotten permission to paint the cabinet doors and she'd hung a few of her favorite pieces on the walls. She hoped he was looking at that and not all the dirty dishes in the sink.
Regina took him on a short tour of the rest of the house. There was a small living room with the standard TV and old furniture. Her bedroom, which was only mildly messy, the second bedroom which stored her finished art pieces, and a small bathroom. They ended back in the living room. "So," Regina said, looking at her watch. "I need to eat lunch and then I have to go to work."
"You work?" Frog asked.
Regina nodded. "Yup. The joys of retail. I don't make enough off of my paintings yet."
Frog nodded sagely. "So, what are we having for lunch?"
"Oh yeah," Regina said. "I have some leftover Mexican food. Does that work or do you need bugs...?" She trailed off, sure she was going to offend Frog again.
"Mexican food will be fine."
Regina heated it up in the microwave, hoping Frog wouldn't eat too much. She still needed to go to the grocery store this week. As it turned out, Frog only had a couple of bites and then said he was full.
Regina finished eating and went into her room to change. Sharing her plate with a talking frog was probably the weirdest thing she'd ever done, but at least he kept his food separate from hers. She came back out in her work clothes. "Well, I have to go. Will you be all right here?"
"Of course," Frog said. "Don't worry about me."
"Okay," Regina said. "Well, bye. I'll be back kind of late."
"Goodbye," Frog replied.
Regina closed and locked the door behind her. This was weirder than sharing her plate. She was worried he was going to do something to her house. "Like steal my valuable stuff?" Regina mocked herself, getting into her beat up car. It would be fine and, besides, she didn't have time to try to get him out. Regina started her car and headed to work.
*
Regina came home much later. She pulled the front door shut behind her like she was slamming it in someone's face. She walked right past Frog, who was in the living room. Regina quickly changed clothes in her room and stormed out to her studio. She pulled down a bare canvas, squeezed out some paint, and began to paint furiously. Frog hopped over to watch, but she didn't notice him.
Regina started muttering to herself. "Stop talking and step up to the register," she snapped. "You'd think they'd never been in a line before." Regina swiped her brush across the canvas and then again the opposite way. As Frog watched, her random swipes slowly began to create an image. He was looking at a rough picture of a fox. It looked like it had been walking and then turned its head to the side to stare at the viewer. There was something wild in its gaze.
Regina stepped back, looked it over, and added a bit more paint. She looked it over again and nodded. She started cleaning up.
"That's really impressive," Frog said.
Regina jumped. "I forgot you were here!"
"I do blend in," Frog said, forgiving her. "Did you know what you were going to make when you started painting?"
"I had kind of an idea, but I wasn't sure how I wanted to pose the fox until after I started painting."
"Do you always come home and rage paint after work?" Frog asked this so politely that Regina couldn't help but laugh.
"'Rage paint'. I like that. Not always. Today was pretty rough, though, and I needed to let it out."
Frog nodded solemnly.
"Oh. I ate dinner at work. Do you need anything to eat?"
"No. I will be fine until the morning."
Regina nodded. "Right." She finished putting her supplies away awkwardly. She checked her clothes for wet paint, but the little that had gotten on them was already dry. "Well, um, usually I read or watch TV after work. What do you want to do?"
"Do you play chess?"
"No. But I have a mancala board."
"Mancala." Frog considered.
"I'll teach you how to play. It's pretty fun."
Regina walked into the living room and pulled down her board and the stones. It was a fairly simple game to explain and they were playing in no time. Frog got much better as they played, but Regina still managed to beat him.
"You're really good at this," he marveled.
"Thanks," Regina replied. "After awhile, no one wanted to play me because I kept beating them."
"I could understand that," Frog teased.
Regina laughed. "You do have a sense of humor. I was wondering."
"Why?"
"You just seem so stuffy. Not what I expected from a frog."
"What did you expect from a frog?" Frog was curious.
"I'm not really sure," Regina replied, "but you're just like a person in a little frog body."
Frog said nothing.
"Oh. I'm sorry." Regina fell into an awkward silence. The stones clattered against the mancala board and Regina ended up winning again. "Well," Regina checked her watch. "I'm beat. Are you ready to sleep?"
"Yes."
Regina put the mancala board away and headed into her room. "So how does this work?" she asked, looking at her full size bed.
"I'll sleep on one of the pillows," Frog decided.
"Okay," Regina said. "Can you get up there?"
In answer, Frog jumped onto the bed.
"Okay," Regina said. "I'll go brush my teeth." She took her pajamas with her to the bathroom. Regina took her time brushing her teeth, but she had to go back into her room eventually. She put her dirty clothes in the basket and got in bed. "Good night," she ventured.
"Good night," Frog replied. "Thank you for letting me stay with you."
Regina smiled. "Of course. I keep my promises."
The next morning, Frog explained that he would spend the day out in the creek and that he would like to come back around dinner time.
That worked for Regina, who had go to work that morning. She had decided not to tell anyone about the polite, talking frog staying with her for a few days. She didn't have time for people to think she was crazy.
After Regina came home that night, she took a long, hot shower. She had managed to go grocery shopping before she came home, so she had more dinner options to choose from. "Any preference for tonight?" she asked Frog as she was putting groceries away.
"Whatever you want will be fine," he told her.
Regina thought as she finished up. "How about freezer pizza? I'm too tired to cook."
"Okay," Frog said.
Regina preheated the oven and sat down at her kitchen table. "So, how did you manage to become a talking frog?" she asked.
Frog jumped. He almost went sailing off the table. "Um. I'd rather not talk about it."
"Oh. I guess that's fair." Regina cast about for something else to talk about.
"How was work?" Frog asked.
Regina shrugged. "Not as annoying as yesterday, but it's easier to open than close. At least for me."
Frog nodded.
"Have you been in a store?" Regina asked, suddenly aware he might not know what she was talking about.
"Oh yes," Frog replied. "I used to- Well. I'm familiar with what you're talking about."
"Okay," Regina replied. They made small talk until the oven finished preheating, and Regina put the pizza in. "Can I paint you?" Regina asked at last.
"Excuse me?" Frog asked, confused.
"Can I paint you? I've never painted a frog before and you'll hold still longer than any other one."
Frog laughed. "I suppose so. Certainly. Shall we go to your studio?"
Regina nodded and stood up. She positioned Frog on a stool and got a small canvas ready. They chatted a little bit while Regina was painting, but she would often drop-off mid-sentence if she got too engrossed in her work. Eventually, the timer on the oven went off and Regina went to take the pizza out. By now, the insides of most of her oven mitts had paint in them, so she didn't worry about it any more. Then she put away her supplies while the pizza cooled.
Regina and Frog sat down to dinner. She gave him one piece of pizza and he said that would be plenty. "So, what are you plans tomorrow?" Regina asked.
Frog shrugged and swallowed his bite. "To be honest, I haven't made any. How about you?"
"Tomorrow's my day off. Do you mind if I work on painting you tomorrow?"
"Of course not. I've never been painted before."
Regina smiled. "Perfect."
That night, Regina convinced Frog to watch a movie that was playing on TV and couldn't help but feel triumphant when he enjoyed it. It was still kind of strange to share a bed with him, but at least he didn't kick in his sleep. Or snore. "Good night," Regina said.
"Good night, Regina," Frog replied.
The next morning, Regina slept in a bit and Frog was already up by the time she stumbled into the kitchen. "I'm ready for my portrait," he announced as Regina downed some cereal.
Regina laughed. "Perfect. Maybe I'll finish it today. If I'm lucky."
"That would be nice," Frog replied.
"Oh yeah. Tonight's the last night you're staying with me," Regina said, putting her dishes in the dishwasher. "Where are you going after that?"
"Home," Frog replied.
"Huh," Regina replied, thinking about how the creek wasn't that far away from her house. "Well, you can come visit me again. You're kind of fun to have around."
"Thank you," Frog replied. "Most people think I'm too formal."
"It's hard to say that about a frog," Regina pointed out.
"Point taken," Frog replied.
"Anyway, let me get into my painting clothes and we'll work on your portrait some more, Sir Frog." Laughing, Regina walked back into her room to change.
The day flew by and Regina managed to put the finishing touches on Frog's portrait shortly after dinner. "I still have to finish the background," she cautioned him.
"That's fine," Frog said. "Can I see it?"
Feeling a bit nervous, Regina turned the canvas around.
Frog got quiet and studied the painting. He looked at it from a few angles.
"I did all right, didn't I?" Regina asked, not able to stand the silence.
"Oh yes. You've brought out the frogginess quiet beautifully. Yet why do I feel like he should be wearing a crown and sitting on a throne?"
Regina laughed. "I can do that," she offered.
"Oh no," Frog replied quickly. "I was only joking."
Regina shook her head and smiled. "I'm about done for today, anyway. Another movie?"
"I suppose so. I did enjoy the last one."
"Great." Regina picked up a bit and then the two of them settled in the living room. It was pretty late by the time they headed to bed. When they were getting settled in, Regina turned to Frog and said, "Tell me goodbye before you leave tomorrow, okay?"
"Of course," Frog replied.
"Good night, Frog."
"Good night, Regina."
Regina shifted around a bit and then fell asleep.
The next morning, Regina opened her eyes and there was an older man sleeping in the bed next to her. It took her a moment to realize what had happened. Then she screamed and jumped out of bed. There was a baseball bat under the bed and Regina had it in her hands faster than she thought possible.
The man woke up and looked around. "Don't worry, Regina," he said, putting his hand out to try to calm her. Then he stared at his hand.
"How do you know my name?" Regina demanded, her grip tightening on the bat.
"You told me your name three days ago," the man replied, still marveling at his hand. Then he looked up at her, "You did it!"
"Did what?" Regina began wondering if she could just change the locks or if she needed better security overall.
"You helped me change from a frog back into a human!"
"What?" Regina asked, her grip loosening on the bat a little bit.
"I was Frog! To break the spell, a lady had to invite me into her house and eat with me and sleep with me for three nights. I mean, let me share her plate and her bed. I mean..."
Regina started laughing and lowered the bat. Frog blushed.
"You're not making any sense, but you're definitely Frog. What's your name, really?"
"Thomas," the man replied.
"Well, Thomas. I'm glad I could break your spell. You couldn't have warned me?"
"If I had, it wouldn't have worked. I tried that already."
"Oh. How long have you been a frog?"
Thomas shrugged. "Longer than I care to admit. Can I borrow you phone? I need to call my family."
"Of course!" Regina grabbed her phone. "Do you know their numbers?"
"Well, I know my brother's number. He'll have to tell everyone else until I get home. Assuming all my stuff is still there." Thomas sat still for a moment. "Goodness. I was so focused on becoming a human again, I didn't think about what would happen after."
"Hey, you'll get through it," Regina said, handing him her phone. "I'll help as much as I can."
Thomas smiled at her. "Thanks."
Regina left the room to give him some privacy. She went to look at her portrait of Thomas as a frog. There were definitely some similarities there, but the background needed some work. Absentmindedly, Regina pulled out her paints and her new paintbrush. She worked on the painting until Thomas came out to find her.
She was just finishing up when he saw it. Thomas laughed. "Perfect," he said.
Regina smiled. "I thought so." She stood back to admire the effect. The frog she had painted was calmly sitting on her kitchen table. "If I do another portrait of you, it'll have to be in the creek," she decided.
"As long as I don't have to get in the creek again." Thomas shuddered. "I've had quite enough of that."
"Well, now you might have to," Regina replied laughing.
Shaking his head, Thomas laughed with her.
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