- Story by Jennifer Abrams, Grade 8

Frank the frog sat on a skinny brown twig looking up at the big blue sky overhead. Raindrops were dripping all around him. Thank goodness he was covered by a large green leaf above his round head. Around him were green, yellow, red, and orange plants. Clear blue drops of rain were falling from the sky. Frank placed his hand up on the leaf. It was wet and had been dripping on his head. It made him realize just how much his head was throbbing with pain. As he looked down he noticed a large scratch on his slimy arm. Where did that come from? The cut had to be from just recently because he did not remember seeing it there before.

He took a breath and remembered how he had gotten there. Somehow he had fallen off his lily pad on the pond back home and into the water. He remembered the water in the pond. It was cold, slimy, and foggy. As he fell into the water, a fish swam right under his stomach. The fish rose up and slid right underneath Frank's round belly to give him a ride. They rode for a long time before the fish finally got to the shore and Frank hopped off his scaly back.

Frank jumped onto the ground and started to try to find someone who would know where he was. Before Frank got very far he noticed a big bird with razor-sharp talons and a beak that was two times the size of Frank's whole body. The hungry-looking bird swooped down above Frank's head and grabbed his chubby stomach with his sharp talons and carried him into the air. The bird was heading towards his nest. That could only mean one thing--Frank would be served as dinner to the bird and her family.

Frank started to become too heavy for the bird and he fell out of the bird's grasp. Her pointed talons scratched Frank's arm, leaving him with the scratch.

Frank fell through the sky. He caught himself on a branch just thick enough to support his weight.

Frank now remembered his long, painful fall and wondered if anyone was around to help him find out where he was. He looked around one more time and he noticed that something just was not right about the scenery. Something looked out of place. His giant eyes searched around the forest for a sign of something unusual as his small frog stomach began to growl. He realized he hadn't eaten since the night before. He had to find something to eat no matter where he was.

Frank slowly moved his bright, green eyes around the forest in search of something he could eat. He realized that he was surrounded by tons of delightfully lush and colorful plants. He looked at one bright, red plant and starting to lick it. It was absolutely delicious! Frank started eating as many of those brilliant red plants as he could. He could not believe he had never even seen them before! They tasted exotic. Frank must have traveled somewhere completely new and foreign. The whole place was completely new to him.

As Frank's big eyes searched the forest, he noticed a wooden sign. He could not make out the words on the sign from his little tree branch. He had to hop closer to see what it said. Maybe the sign would give a hint to where he was! Frank leaned forward, preparing to jump to the branch across from him. As he was about to jump, his webbed feet slipped and he began tumbling down. He hit a rough tree branch and balanced himself. He jumped to the branch across from him. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the sign. It read, "First Hiking Trail at El Yunque." He was in El Yunque, the famous rainforest in Puerto Rico. It was a beautiful rainforest with lots of animals and captivating surroundings.

Frank liked this new tropical place. It was interesting and different from where he was used to living. He thought that he could get used to living in this exotic climate where it was warm and there were new things to see everywhere you went. Frank's little mouth opened wide for a yawn. He had just ventured to a completely new place and he remembered that he had not slept for a long time; he was very tired from his long trip. His eyelids began to grow heavy. Frank stretched his bumpy green arms and climbed into a big pile of red, orange, and green leaves. His eyes slowly closed and he drifted off into a deep wonderful sleep.