The following stories are brilliant interpretations of the 1,000 Words image in the September, 2006 issue of Writing Magazine. This concludes our Froggy contest. Coming soon, more of your outstanding 1,000 Words interpretations from the October issue!

Fred the Frog - Coward or Warlord?
- Story by Alexandra Sobczak, Grade 7

Squish, squelch, squish. Fred the frog's feet hopped over the soggy canopy of trees as he hurried to seek shelter underneath the leafy Banyan tree. It was rain season in the Amazon rain forest and everything was wet. Wet trees, wet ground, wet leaves, wet animals, and wet amphibians. Pretty much anything that was in the rain forest was wet.

Fred had never really been very enthusiastic about being wet. Especially the wet animal part, animals always smelled funny when they got wet. His grandma Sophia always said that you can't have trees without rain, and without trees there would be no tree frogs, and without tree frogs... well, then Fred wouldn't exist.

As Fred sat and pondered this, he suddenly saw the orange, white, and black body of a toucan flutter overhead. Fred's heart jumped into his throat, there were many toucans in the Amazon but only one had that unique combination of orange, blue, and red on its wing--like a blood red sun rising up above the crystal, turquoise Amazon River. That toucan's name was Bill, and Bill had taken it upon himself to torment all tree frogs no matter how old, young, big, or small. He had become a regular living terror for all tree frogs everywhere--picking up unsuspecting frogs and dropping them amongst the rainforest trees or simply eating them for his own greedy pleasure. Fred hid under a leaf and tried to look as much like a leaf as possible, hoping Bill wouldn't see him. Fortunately Bill didn't, and he moved on.

"Isn't he just the most annoying bird you've ever met?" a voice said behind Fred. Fred jumped a mile into the air and turned tentatively around to face a beautiful girl tree frog staring back at him with her big, bulgy red eyes.

"Ummmm, yeah I guess," stammered Fred still trying to comprehend that a girl tree frog was actually talking to him.

"Oh I’m sorry," she said, "I’m just barging in on you and not even introducing myself, I'm Meg and I live in the tree with the pink hibiscus plant. What's your name?"

"My name is Fred. I live in the tree with the green vine around it," he answered, still a bit shocked.

"Ohhhh you're the family that is related to that wonderful grandmother who tells the most amazing stories!" Meg said, "I really can't tell you how jealous I am. Oh, but isn't she the one that lost her husband a few years ago to that wretched bird? I really can't tell you how awful I feel about that. I mean just because he's bigger than us doesn't give him the right to bully us all the time, and he seems to feel that he owns the whole rain forest."

"I know what you mean. My cousin Alfred went out for a hop yesterday and he never came back, and I guess we're all just expecting the worst, it's easier that way."

"Oh I'm so sorry," Meg said her red eyes swimming with sadness, "That just must make you all feel horrible."

"Yeah well it's not the first time and it won't be the last that someone in my family disappears," Fred said, trying not to sound sad. "What if someone would stop him?" Meg said suddenly after a few minutes of silence.

"You mean challenge him?" said Fred,

"That's exactly what I mean!" Meg said, "Make him sweat a little, worry him, get rid of him even!"

"Well I don't know," Fred began, but Meg cut him off.

"You have lots of family members that don't like him, right? Actually, I bet there isn't one frog in the entire Amazon that wouldn't help us."

"Us?" Fred asked hesitantly.

"Yes us, who else do you think is going to start this. If we don't probably no one will, ever! And I won't stand for it much longer."

Meg was on a roll now. "Are you with me Fred?" she asked.

After taking a deep breath and trying not to think about what could happen if something went wrong Fred said, "I’m with you Meg."

"Excellent! Now all I need you to do is to round up all the frogs you think will help and bring them all to the meeting tree at the center of the forest. Got it?"

"Got it!" Fred said and hopped off to find his friends and family.

Two hours later they were both sitting in front of the largest group of frogs they had ever seen. Word hadn't taken very long to get around that they were hatching a plan to get rid of Bill the toucan.

Now all they had to do was settle on a plan. It had to be hard but easy, fast but not too fast. All the ideas that swirled around were making Fred dizzy. Finally they all settled on the plan that they would take a giant net made out of palm tree leaves, trap him in it, tie him to a raft, and send him upriver, never ever to return.

When the day of the attack came, Fred decided to stay home. As much as he hated Bill, he hated even more to see someone get hurt. He was right in the middle of his favorite TV episode season finale when he heard a horrific screech, flapping, some yelling, a splash, and then complete and total silence. Just then Meg came bursting through the door. "We did it! We did it!" she yelled.

"That’s great Meg!" Fred said and gave her a big hug filled with relief and joy that the Amazon Rainforest was safe once again.

Editor's note: What's up with Fred?? Leave a comment below.