Dangerous tree goes

Frog

Ray was born on a wet, stormy day with the creeks running to the top of the banks of all the rivers throughout the area. There was no way his father could make their way through to the hospital. No helicopters were allowed to fly in the inclement weather, all flights in the area were grounded. All the animals were searching for a dry place to hide.

When Ray was born he was placed in the cradle beside his parents bed in easy reach for his mother to take care of him while everyone else was busy rescuing all the stock. From the moment he was born Ray didn't fit into the country scene. He didn't like the animals. Frogs were way down on his pet list. Many times he had been scared by them.

As Ray grew the fear of frogs didn't leave him but he tried to keep the fact well hidden. He went away to boarding school in the city where there weren't too many frogs. When he had graduated from school, Ray decided to stay in the city to train to be a magistrate not wanting to return to the country.

Frog grew older while he waited for the return of Ray. Ray had to pay. It was his stupid screams, and tantrums, which caused Frog to be evicted from the house each time he ventured inside the house. The screams still echoed in his mind. No way was he going, anywhere, until Ray had paid for the trauma caused to his body each time he was sent out not too gently at times. Frog took up residence in the old machinery in the shed to wait. Even though Frog grew older he willed his body to keep going.

Then his chance came. Ray's parent's were away in their plane when it went down in a thunder storm. Ray returned home to the country to take over the family property. Even though Frog was sad for the passing of the older couple, he hopped around in glee waiting for his chance for revenge. There were saviors for Ray to call to for help. He impatiently waited for the right moment to exact his revenge.

Frogs day came when Ray had forgotten to lock his car. Under the cloak of darkness, Frog crawled into the car to wait for the right moment. Ray came out to the car, climbed behind the steering wheel to drive into town. Frog's chance had come. He waited until the car was on the highway before he landed on the seat near Ray's shoulder. Ray looked in the review mirror to view Frog on the seat. He screamed. The car went from one side of the road to the other. Ray tried to open the car door to jump out but the door was locked. He let go of the steering wheel and tried to climb to the passengers side to try that door. He didn't see the danger of the big truck headed toward them. Frog didn't want to die. He took Ray's place at the wheel. Spun the steering wheel to

straighten the forward motion of the car out of the path of destruction. Ray struggled to escape from the car all the while screaming.

'Shut up!' yelled Frog. 'My head is starting to ache. I can't take any more of your screaming. If you don't stop I won't save your miserable hide. What's it to be? Death? Or help?'

'I don't want to die,' sniveled Ray.

'Neither do I,' Frog grumbled. 'Your choice. You either pull yourself together. Or the police will be scraping us up off the ground.'

Ray stopped his screaming and crushed himself as close as he could to the passenger side door. He watched in horror. The truck was fast approaching. Frog swiftly tugged the steering wheel to the left, struggled to straighten the car, to stop going over the edge of the road into a tree, or the deep gully beside the road filled with water. The breeze from the truck rocked the car, dust clouded Frog's vision, from the hastily applied brakes by the driver of the truck. The side of Ray's car clipped a part of the truck before Frog had straightened the car out of the way.

When the dust had cleared the truck driver crawled down from the cab on rubbery legs. He had heard the car collide with a part of the truck over the squeal of the brakes. The driver circled his truck for the car. Searched the area along the road for a crumpled car. None could be found. Scratching his head the driver puzzled over what happened to the car. He closed his eyes to blot out the image of the driver of the car. 'Martians. Martians were green, weren't they?' The truck driver made a garbled radio call for help.

Ray grabbed hold of his chest and screwed his face in pain, grasping for every breath. Frog took his eye off of the road for a few seconds, now, that the car wasn't in danger of crashing.

'What's wrong with you, now? Not having a panic attack, are you? I can't take any more screaming.'

'My...heart,' Ray whispered between grasped breaths. 'Hos...pital.' Frog took a closer look at Ray then pressed harder on the peddle. Frog dodged, and weaved, his way between the traffic to take Ray to the hospital. He brought the car to a screaming halt in the ambulance bay. Nurses and doctors came running expecting trouble. They found Ray seated in the car.

'What's wrong? Who brought you in?'

'Frog,' whispered Ray, when he was lifted from the car to the gurney. Everyone believed the name belonged to one of Ray's friends. But when the truck driver was brought in mumbling about a car driven by Martians looking like frogs, no one knew what to believe. That was, until the strident voice of the Matron echoed above the noise.

'Who brought that nasty, germ riddled FROG into my clean hospital? I want it removed immediately.' Her questions were answered by looks of shock, and screams.

'Frog!'

'Martians! Let me out of here!'

'Oh! Shut those men up!' yelled Frog, from where he was seated on the gurney. 'Out of my way.!' Frog hopped from the gurney to the floor and headed for the doorway where Matron stood. 'Stand aside, Fatso. I'm escaping from this hell hole.' Matron lent over to scoop up Frog.

'Right, young man. You need to learn some manners. You need to be taught not to call people names on this planet.'

'Young man,' Frog responded, sweetly. 'You called me a young man. How nice of you. I'm really sorry I called you Fatso.'

'Don't listen to that old man...I mean...Frog,' yelled Ray. 'He nearly killed me.' The heart monitor started making weird sounds.

'Calm down, Ray. You won't have to worry about Frog any more. I'll take good care of him. I have nice po...swimming pool, which has acts as a sauna,' replied Matron, before walking away.

'What's she mean? There's no pool in town with a sauna. What does Matron have in mind for Frog?' The question was met with silence and strange looks.

'Yes. What does that snooty Matron intend to do with my Martian?' The truck driver struggled to sit up on the gurney. 'Tell me she's not going to use him for an experiment.' Giggles were the answer he received to the question.

'Oh, no!' Ray ripped all the leads from his body, pushing hands from holding him down. 'Take your hands from me. I'm the magistrate. She can't do that to Frog.'

'What's the old biddy going to do to the Martian?'

'She's French,' echoed around the room.

Ray and the truck driver jumped down from their gurney, hit the floor at a run, crashed together to squeeze through the doorway. They were on a mission to save Frog from the pot to become soup. Followed the sound of Matron's voice while she lectured Frog about his manners. Skidded to a stop outside the hospital near the lily pond in the garden to watch while Matron placed Frog on the largest lily pad.

'If I find you inside of my hospital ever again it's curtains for you,' warned Matron, wiping her finger across her throat. Frog swallowed the lump lodged in his throat.

'Old bat,' mumbled Frog, when Matron turned to walk away. 'I heard that, Frog. You're on borrowed time. Frog soup sounds better to me than you attitude.' She smiled at the two men when she walked past. 'You both look well enough to leave my hospital.'

Too many shocks in a short space of time took their toll on both men. Both collapsed to the ground. At the thump, Matron yelled, 'Doctors needed out in the garden.'