REM // Van McCann

64. The Frog Prince

Florence narrowed her eyes and bent over to take her boots off one by one until she was barefoot. She held up her dress and took a tentative step into the water, testing the temperature and how deep it was. She was relieved to find it wasn't freezing cold and deep so she took another step in. There was only so much dress to hitch up before you'd see her knickers so she finally gave in and got her dress dirty in the muddy water. At first, her dress ballooned around her but she pressed down on her dress so it would stay down. She was now waist deep in the water and a few meters away from the frog.

She was so focused on catching the frog that she forgot to look for me. It seems like she's hellbent on proving to the witch that she wasn't afraid and will do whatever it takes to get answers. I'm not sure finding out who he is is worth the effort she's going through. I don't trust the witch one bit. The witch suddenly looked in my direction and I ducked once again, my heart pounding rapidly. She definitely knows I'm here. Maybe she can read my mind. In that case, never mind what I said!

The water was getting deeper so Florence swam towards the log. She doesn't know how to swim, yet she's brave enough to go in the water. I remember asking her why she jumped in after me. It was because she knew she was dreaming. All of this isn't real.

The frog hadn't moved an inch despite seeing her swim towards it. Florence held onto the log lightly, being careful not to tip the frog over. She was within an arm's reach and she slowly inched towards it, getting her arm ready to strike. There was a splash of water, a struggle, and then Florence cried out.

"I got it!" she shouted. "I got—" The frog slipped away into the water and she groaned audibly. The witch clapped her hands in glee.

"They're slippery little fellas, aren't they?" the witch taunted her. "Did you know they're covered in a layer of mucus? It helps keep their skin moist so they can breathe through their skin."

"I know," Florence muttered under her breath. "I googled it last night." She looked around for another frog but couldn't find one.

"Looking for something?" the witch asked, holding a green frog firmly in her hand. The frog croaked again. You could see its vocal sac expand and deflate. It was an ugly fella. "Get out of the water. There's no need to look for a frog anymore."

Florence was the least bit pleased having been told to go in the water only to make a fool of herself while the witch was able to use magic to get one. The ends of Florence's hair was weighed down from the water and her dress was soaked and very heavy. You could see she was uncomfortable so she bent over to wring excess water from her dress and then she stood in front of the witch waiting for the next step. All the while, she was scanning the tips of the tall grass in search of me. I was crouched down low out of sight not wanting to be found.

This dream is very different from her other dreams. She usually dreams about things that happen in her life like the pregnancy scare and being kicked out of the house. It's unusual for her to dream about being tormented by a witch. It was almost like one of Bondy's dreams. But she has been watching a lot of Disney films so maybe that's why. Florence waited for the witch to speak.

"You've heard of The Frog Prince, haven't you? A princess kisses the frog, breaking the wicked fairy's spell, transforming him back into a handsome prince." Florence turned pale and a bit green, knowing where this was headed. "I want you to kiss him." She held the frog out and it seemed like the frog was puckering his lips up for a kiss. I had to clamp my hands over my mouth to stifle my laugh.

"But in the original version, the princess threw the frog against the wall. Can't I do that instead?" Florence pleaded and the witch cackled.

"There's no wall out here and I get to make the rules! You want to know who he is, don't you? Well kiss him and find out." Florence screwed her eyes shut.

"This is just a dream. It's not real. I'm not really kissing a frog," she muttered and then she opened her eyes once again. "I think I'm gonna be sick!"

"Visualize what you want and where." Those words sounded familiar. They were the same exact words I told her when I taught her how to visualize her mirror and makeup in her purse.

"But I don't know what I want!" Florence protested.

"Yes you do! Quit fighting it!"

Florence reached for the frog and the witch waited until she had a firm grasp on the slimy thing before letting go. The frog stared into Florence's face eager for the kiss. If frogs could smile, he looked quite happy to get some lip action.

"Oh my God. I can't believe I'm doing this." Florence closed her eyes and puckered her lips. Slowly, she leant in to kiss the frog.

All I did was blink and I could feel her hands on my face and her soft lips against mine. Despite having been in the lake earlier, I could smell her perfume and I opened my eyes, shocked at what just happened. Visualize what you want and where. Perhaps you need to turn off your mind and listen to your heart. What is it telling you?

Florence opened her eyes, wondering why I was no longer small and slimy, and then she pulled away once she realized it was me. We were both very surprised to be looking at each other. Her mouth fell open in shock and I just looked at her in awe. She's even more beautiful up close and I could feel the blush creeping in for thinking that and my heart was pounding wildly. I wondered if she could hear it.

"Erm...hi," I said awkwardly. Her eyes widened and she began to turn red. She placed her hands on my shoulder and then moved them down to my arm.

"Is this the real you or dream you?" she asked, feeling me as if she wasn't sure I was real or not.

"It's me," I replied. I didn't even answer her question. "I was just over there but now I'm here. Did you just summon me or...?"

"How would I summon you?"

"Visualize what you want and where. Just like I taught you. I thought it only worked on objects, not people!"

"So you were here and listening the whole time?" she realized in horror. "What did you see?"

"The both of you were sitting on the rock and you asked her about three wishes." I turned around to look for the witch but she was gone.

"Oh no!" Florence cried out. "We need to wake up. I need you out of my dream!"

"Why? What's the rush?"

"Get out of my dream!"

She got behind me and started pushing me towards the water. What's wrong? Why is she behaving like this? With a firm push, I fell into the water.

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Note: Fan art made by the lovely callmebymym! Thank you so much! 🥰