Instead of the normal sunny, sticky, and hot weather of Wartwood, today, it was rainy, cold, and windy. Anne and yn were relaxing in the basement by themselves.
"Nothing like sleeping to the sound of rain.."
Anne sighed while wrapped like a burrito in her blanket..
Hop pop suddenly opened the door as loudly as possible. "Anne, yn, move! This is the third time I've called you!"
"What? No it isn't."
"No? Ok, then this is the first time I'm calling you!" Yn visibly facepalmed. "Let's go! We've got work to do."
"Okay, we got a full day of hard work ahead of us. Here ya go, put this on! Polly, there you go sweetie." He said giving everyone bags to wear. "Frog of course, where's yn?!?"
"Eh she's looking a little down..." Anne said nervously.
"Okay then, but we'll have to see for ourselves. YN FRONT AND CENTER!!"
Yn came out of the bathroom with a bucket.
"Hey Hp" she said sounding congested.
"Holy frog! What happened to you!"
"Human sickness," she shrugged, "I-it'll go away s.........soOOOO" she shoved her head into the bucket and started vomiting.. the frogs shuddered and hop pop interrupted,
"Alright! Alright! Your excused from your duties today. Now," he said facing his working crew again.
"Rain gear?" sprig asked, "hop pop, we're frogs we should actually be taking off our clothes. Woohoo!" He said starting to take off his clothes and dance around.
"Keep your pants on, boy. This here ain't no ordinary rainstorm." Hop pop said pointing to the window where the frog wally just got washed away by a tree. "We gotta cover up the crops before their destroyed! It'll be hours of back-breaking work in the mud and the muck. Thankless, hard, character-building labor—"
Suddenly anne interrupted with a totally fake cough.
"Woah, anne, everything alright?"
"No.. I think I'm.. sick." She doubled over and started fake coughing again.
"Oh no, sounds like I got a bad case of the... mocha lattes!"
"That sounds horrible! Is that what yn has??"
"No.. she has the worst case of the bobas."
"Come on kids, let's stay away from these humans and their sickness."
They were almost out the door,
"Rest up anne, we'll handle the work today."
"Rest up!"
"Feel better anne!"
"I'll try my best, bye." She said majorly exaggerating her weak voice. Once they were out the door she straightened up, "you done did it again girl!" They we're gone, her plan had worked!
"Yn your a real genius for getting the idea to fake a sickness! Like cmon how dumb can they get!"
"Not faking" yn coughed but anne was too busy in her own little world of excitement.
After a long while of playing around anne finally settled on watching the new movie, Ab-Snatchers 2. Yn had finally decided to join her friend, seeing she's calmed down.
"Best... decision... ever!" Anne said with her mouth full of ice cream.
Just then the planters opened the door to their house.
"Oh.. you're back?" Anne said with her fake weak voice. "I hope you got along without- woah, are you guys okay?" Her voice changed back to normal.
Hop pop snorted and coughed, Polly's eyes were swollen and she sneezed, "oh me? I'm fine." Sprig smiled.
"Looks like polly and I have come down with something, too."
"Who said that?"
"Oh, it was brutal out there anne. Good thing you two stayed inside. I mean, sure, the work would have gone much quicker if you were with us, but you probably just would've gotten sicker."
"Yep, sicker.." Anne said looking pretty guilty.
"But nobody has to worry because I'm going to take care of everyone- ah ahh ACHOO-" he yelled, his long yellow tongue shot across the room.
"Oh no!"
"Yep, it got sprig too."
"Wait what? So your all sick?"
"Sure looks that way" Polly said hopping into the trash,
"Polly no!" Sprig tripped over his own tongue.
"Oh dang, I'm sticky." Hop pop said with items sticking to him left and right.
"It's alright guys I got y... y.. yo-BLECH"
Yn stuck her head in the bucket and puked yet again,
"Who's gonna take care of us?" Polly asked.
"Me, I'm gonna take care of you guys." Anne said grabbing polly out of the trash.
"But, anne, you're sick too, ah!" His tongue hit him in the mouth.
Anne fake coughed,
"Sure am, buddy, but you're all way more important to me."
"Thanks anne."
"Thanks anne,"
"T-thanks anne" yn trembled. Her stomach was so empty there was nothing to puke up anymore, and it probably would be best to keep it that way.
"Wow, that's uncharacteristically generous of you."
"Aw, you know. I do what I can. Now let's get you all better!"
Polly sneezed and flew out of Anne's arms, and started bouncing around the room,
"ahh! Kill me."
Anne started with hop pop, she put on some gloves and wrapped a blanket around his frog body. Just to Anne's luck, the slimey residue stuck onto her gloves and in an attempt to flick it off it landed on her face.
"Ah! It's in my mouth!"
"Sorry anne."
Then it was Polly's turn, anne put the eye drops in her eyes and she sighed,
"Ah, sweet relief. Give me that!" She yelled and took the squeeze bottle. She filled up her eyes as much as she could and the eyedrops poored out onto the floor. "Ahhhh," she sighed in relief.
Next, sprig. Anne shoved his tongue in his mouth over and over but it always found a way to the floor. Anne as fast as she could, tied a long piece of fabric around his chin so his mouth would stay closed.
And finally, yn. Anne approached yn, "hey buddy, how ya doin?" She asked.
"Not so good." Yn groaned while laying face down on her mattress.
"Yknow what I thinkll help?" Anne asked.
"What?"
"My famous broccoli kale super soup!"
"Noooo! I'll just puke it up." Yn groaned.
"But not, this soup. It has a special ingredient.. one that won't make you run to the bathroom."
"What is it?"
"I'm not telling, but it comes from way back when, when my parents started their restaurant!"
"I guess I'll give it I try, but if I puke you owe me one boonchuy."
"Of course, of course,"
Yn tried to get up but she fell almost flat on her face. Anne giggled,
"Here, come on!" She said lifting her onto her shoulders, piggybacking yn all the way to the kitchen.
As soon as the soup was done yn sniffed,
"Woof, smells awful. Probably a good thing." She claimed, she really wanted to try this soup, no matter how bad it looks or smells because anne seemed pretty excited about it.. and she'd do anything to make her happy.
As soon as the frogs were at the table they drank their soup just like a drink, so yn did too.
The smiley texture actually had a nice taste, in some weird way it did make her feel better. Like a hug from the inside.
"Soo.. feeling any better?" Anne asked hopefully.
Sprigs tongue shot out once again.
"No."
"No."
"Kind of," yn said, however she could feel her insides squirming around like she could eject it up at any moment.
"Oh, man.. I thought that would've helped for sure." Once anne finished her sentence yn couldn't help it anymore. She reached for anything around her that could hold her insides and she puked... again.
Sprig patted yns back as she hacked and hacked, somehow feeling worse than before.
Anne looked and felt horrified, how could she do this to yn?!? This made her feel even more guilty than before when she lied about being sick... Anne looked around for a distraction and she caught sight of something.
"Uh, hop pop. Are your legs normally that red?"
...
"This can't be good."
The family had rushed to hop pops study. "
Yep, it's red leg all right" hop pop said as he read from a book labeled, Ye Olde Ailments.
"Is that a bad thing?" Anne asked
"Uh, yeah anne. The red leg works it's way up your body, and when it finally covers you completely, you... you..."
Hop pop sighed,
"You depart from this ungrateful world."
"What?!?" Anne yelled.
"It's okay kids. Just pick a corner for me to pass away in. That one will do!" He said pointing to a corner with spider webs and dusty books.
"What's going on fam?" Yn asked walking in, sounding almost completely normal.
"Hop pops going to die!" Polly yelled.
"Polly!" Sprig lectured
"What?"
"No, he is not passing away on my watch! There's got to be something we can do to fix this! There has to be." Anne said.
"I, am very confused." Yn claimed.
"Hop pop has red leg and he's going to die."
"Polly!" Sprig grumbled.
"Well she asked!"
The two siblings began fighting as hop pop started settling in his corner.
Anne and yn started searching through the book for answers while the others were doing whatever they were doing.
"Woah your voice sounds completely normal, what happened?"
"I think your soup really did help," yn smiled, "I think it made me puke out all the sick germs or whatever."
"Huh good to know." Anne suddenly gasped, "I found it! The guide book says red leg can be cured by wading in a mineral pond high in the mountains."
"Mountains? Ha! The journey alone would do me in. Nope, nope, nope. I'm just gonna get ready for the hereafter in my corner." He said resting on the floor in his corner once again.
"Hey, stop it! Sorry, hop pop, but you are going to live to see another day. I am gonna take you to that mineral pond!"
"Yay!" They all cheered.
"Uh, even though I'm still pretty sick." She said fake coughing again. Just then sprigs tongue flew out and hit hop pop right in the face.
"Dang it boy!"
Anne and yn sat on the snail with the frogs in the wagon attached to the back. Yn clung tightly to Anne's torso as they hit multiple bumps in the road. Anne suddenly coughed loud enough for the frogs in the wagon to hear.
"You can keep this up forever anne." Yn sighed.
"I know I know, just until tomorrow."
"Okay..."
After a long drive they finally met the 'peak of health'...
"Woah... that's a way taller mountain than the picture." Yn said. But that didn't phase anne, she was determined to heal her froggy friends. She cracked bessies reigns, forcing her forward up the mountain.
"Come on, bessie! How you doing back there hop pop?" Anne asked.
"Just fine, considering the red is up to my stomach." He said pulling up his shirt to reveal where the red hasn't covered yet.
"What?" Anne stopped Bessie.
"It's spreading quicker than we thought." Sprig said playing the drums on his grandfathers stomach.
"Knock it off boy! Just find a nice tree to leave me under."
"Better make that a tree for two." Polly interrupted. Everyone looked over to see the red leg had gotten polly too! Anne gasped,
"Polly too? I have to get this cart moving faster." Anne jumped off Bessie and yn followed her. "What are we doing?" Yn asked.
"Hop on, yn," Anne said. Yn sat on the edge of the wagon and Anne started pulling the wagon up the mountain.
"Anne what are you doing?!?"
"If Bessie can't get you there, then I'll get you there myself!"
Even as animals chomped on Anne's leg and pecked at her head, anne didn't stop. She was determined and nothing was going to get in her way. Now see, this is the anne that yn likes, determined to help the people closest to her..
Finally, they had made it to a flat area. "Yeah!" Everyone cheered, except for Anne who face planted onto the ground. Yn came over and lifted anne up.
"How... much... further?" She panted.
"We just have to cross this plateau." Yn tried to be comforting but... the plateau wasn't the most promising.
"We have to cross that? I'll never get the cart to the other side!"
"Sure you can-" a geyser interrupted sprig and slit the wagon in half, now forcing hop pop and polly to roll onto the ground.
"Well, not now of course."
"There's no shame in failure, anne. Just pick a nice rock-"
"No! No rock, no tree. We are going to that mineral pond!" Anne said placing hop pop on her back, she also placed polly on her head. Yn figured the least she could do was carry sprig.
"Okay, okay.. watch the timing anne.." she suddenly started running with no explanation so yn had to quickly follow. It was going okay, until yn tripped, right onto the side of a geyser.
"Yn!" Anne yelled. Yn felt someone grip the back of her shirt and she was lifted into someone's back. Yn opened her eyes and her and sprig were on Anne's back. Hold crap was this girl strong.
They had safely made it to the end! The group cheered, "I knew you'd safe me, my knight in shining armor." Yn winked.
Anne's face flushed a little, "well.. yeah." She giggled.
"And it's a good thing too," sprig said before revealing his legs and arms turned red.
"Sprig! You too? Cmon let's get to that spring!" She said confidently. Yn felt her face flush, she loved it when Anne talked like that.. in fact, she loved when Anne talked in general..
"It's right around the- wait, these are stairs?" Anne asked when she saw the so called 'stairs'.
"I can't walk up these!" Anne said frustrated.
"Ain't for walking. They're for hopping."
"The stairs are made for frogs."
Anne groaned loudly.
"Anne calm-"
"Well, we tried." Hop pop gave up.
A big bug flew past the group, giving anne an idea. "Yn grab on quick, and hang on tight!" Anne yelled as she started to run. Yn clung to her back as she jumped off the cliff.
The bug had caught their fall, and started to fly them upwards toward the top of the mountain. But, the bug flew far above their destination.
"We gotta jump for it!" Anne yelled.
"Welp this is gonna hurt." Yn commented before everyone jumped off the bug and landed into the water.
"Yay we made it!" Everyone cheered.
"Woohoo!"
"You saved us!"
"You did it anne!"
"Nice job anne" yn commented.
"T-thanks yn.."
The family mentally took notes of the stutters and blushes between the two kids.
"I knew you guys would be okay! Thank goodness too, because.. wait.. shouldn't the red be going away?"
"In theory..."
"Sprig, what does the book say?" Anne demanded.
"The pond should cure us instantly. It's.. not working" he said sadly.
"What? The book was wrong?"
"Books are wrong all the time. A lot more than you'd think."
Sprigs tongue hit hop pop in the face again, "dang it boy!"
"This is all my fault." Anne said guilty.
"Anne, take it easy." Yn said putting a hand on Anne's shoulder.
"anne you did more than anyone could've asked of you."
Anne started sobbing,
"Yeah, you're the best."
"Even though you're as sick as we are, you still tried to save us. You're... a hero."
Okay this was starting to make yn tear up too.
"But... but... but I'm not sick!!!!"
"What??" The frogs all yelled out.
Anne sighed,
"I never was. I faked it so I could take a day off. I swear, as long as I live, never to fake being sick again." Anne started crying again.
"Don't be ridiculous, kiddo, you might've just gotten sick with the rest of us."
"Yeah, we'd probably all be dying now."
"At least someone made it."
"You guys are the best." Anne sniffed.
"That's enough now, it's time to let us go." Hop pop said.
"No!" Yn yelled out, "you can't! I'm starting to get emotionally attached you can't leave now!"
"Goodbye yn, goodbye anne." Hop pop said.
The three frogs crossed their arms and floated on the water.
"No!" Yn yelled out and started sobbing. Anne put an arm around her shoulder, "rest in peace you beautiful frogs."
"Uh, anyone dead yet?" Hop pop asked disturbing the silence.
"Not yet!"
"Present."
"Hmm, that's odd.. unless.. sprig, get over here and show me that book. Hmm, it says here red leg isn't the only thing that can cause a frog to turn red."
"What?" They all asked.
"Yeah, it says there's a mushroom that gives you the exact same symptom."
"But, we didn't eat any mushrooms."
"Sprig! Turn around!" Anne ordered.
"Okay."
"That mushroom was in the kitchen." Yn remembered.
Anne suddenly started tearing up,
"I put it in the soup I gave you!!" She said crying and hugging all the frogs.
"That mushroom ain't for eating anne, I use it to scrub the pots and wash the bathroom floors and... clean Bessie's stable."
Suddenly yn felt sick again.
"Looks like we're just normal sick."
Anne started sobbing.
"Uh.. Anne?"
"You're gonna live!"
"Is she gonna stop?"
"Just let it happen kids. Just let it happen."
Hope you've been having a good day! :)) we lost our volleyball tournament today and I wrote some of this while I was on the bench because the coach hates me and never put me in and I don't like talking to people. Okay Byee :))))