A Frog's Way Home (The Calamity Girls Book 3)

Sprig's Birthday

Before we start the chapter, feel free to check out Oh Geeez. They're a music group that creates songs inspired by animated shows. They're currently on a mission to write a song based on every episode of season 3. Here's the song for this specific episode. The songs don't ever disappoint. -Mal.

Today was just another day of researching portals back to Amphibia. "I give Dante's Inferno a B+ for story, and an F- for helping us get back home." Anne said. "What about you, Rowboat?" "My research took me straight to a FanFiction website." I replied. "Ooh, I wonder if I could post a few of my writing drafts on here? Maybe get some feedback." "What about you, Sprig?" Anne asked. "Pretty good, I think I'm really getting somewhere." Sprig replied, sitting on a stack of books, forming a giraffe. "It's a giraffe." "Okay, I can see we need a break." I said. "Finger football?" "You know it." Sprig replied, shaping his tongue into a field goal. Anne and I each fired a piece of paper through the goal. All of a sudden, Hop Pop and Polly were sneaking into Anne's room with their hands behind their back. "Hey, what's gotten into you two?" Anne asked. "Oh, nothing." Polly replied. "We're just looking for a place to put this mud crown!" "What is that?" I asked. "What's going on?" "Well, in Amphibia, it's customary to put a mud crown on somebody's head when it's their birthday!" Hop Pop explains. "What?!" Anne and I shouted." "Froggy little birthday here, it's crystal clear, you were born this hoppy time of year." Hop Pop and Polly sang and kissed Sprig on the cheek. "Thanks, guys." Sprig said. "You shouldn't have." "Sprig, I had no idea it was your birthday." Anne replied. "Same here." I added. "Eh, don't worry about it. I don't think I ever mentioned it." Sprig explains. "But we're your friends, we're supposed to know these things!" Anne exclaimed. "We're not doing any more research today, we're doing whatever folksy frog traditions you do. What do you got?" "Well, the mud crown represents every frog's humble beginning as an egg, in the muddy waters of the swamp." Hop Pop explains. "And all that's left is for the birthday frog to wear his crown and reflect." Polly added. "Reflect?" I asked. "On his life, until this point." Hop Pop replied. "Shh, it's starting." Sprig stared out the window for a few seconds. "Okay, all done." Sprig said. "Well, that's that. Hoppy birthday, kiddo." Hop Pop said. "Pretty quick this year." "I wonder which of our 8 streaming services we should watch?" Polly wondered. "Wait for me, guys!" Sprig called, before the door was blocked by Anne. "Hold on, that's all you frogs do for your honking birthdays?!" Anne exclaimed. "Yes, this is starting to feel a little culturally insensitive." Hop Pop replied. "Yeah, I'm with Anne on this one." I said. "Birthdays should be fun and memorable." "And especially when you're turning, uh..." Anne continued. "Eleven." Sprig explains. "Eleven, and I knew that because I'm your friend." Anne said. "And this friend and her awesome girlfriend are gonna give you the best birthday you've ever had in your life! Capish?" "Well, I'm intrigued, a little scared, but intrigued. Let's do it!" Sprig replied, tossing the crown out the window, only to land on Mr Boonchuy, who was gardening. "Sorry, Dad!" Anne called. "Love you, Dad!"

Anne and I took Sprig outside to celebrate his birthday. Sprig hopped in Anne's bike basket. "So, Earth birthdays are about fun, presents, cake." Anne explains. "It's basically a day that means you tell people what to do, and get what you want." "Wow, in Amphibia, it's all about respecting those around you and being grateful for the time you have left alive." Sprig said. "Yeah, that too." I replied. "Earth birthday montage engage!" Anne shouted.

We took Sprig around town to share some popular birthday activities on Earth. From shopping at the mall, to taking Sprig to the amusement park, to simply taking him out to eat.

We stopped at the observatory to pick up a present for Sprig. "Man, that place had everything!" Sprig exclaimed. "Big telescopes, crazy contraptions, and I made a new friend." "Oh, he wasn't a friend, that was security yelling at you to get off the telescope." I explained. "Rowena, on your Earth birthday, everyone's your friend." Sprig said. "Now you're getting it." Anne smiled, getting on her bike with Sprig as I did mine and started riding back. "Wow, that was fun." Sprig said. "Thanks for an incredible birthday, guys. You know, at first, I couldn't understand why you'd make birthdays so special, and now I get it. Today was amazing." "Your welcome, buddy." I replied. "So, was it the best birthday you've ever had?" Anne asked. "Oh, definitely top 3." Sprig replied as Anne slammed her brakes. "What?! That's it?!" Anne shouted. "We pulled out all the stops and we're still third place to a couple of mud crowns?" "Well..." Sprig started. "This will not stand, it is our duty as your friends to keep this party going until it's in the number one spot!" Anne exclaimed. "But, haven't we done everything we could think of by this point?" I asked. "Not everything." Anne replied.

Once we returned to Anne's place, she asked her dad to take us to ride a hot air balloon. "Thanks, Dad." Anne waved to Mr Boonchuy in the parking lot. "Be back soon." "No worries." Mr Boonchuy said. "I'll just be over here, reading great American literature." Anne, Sprig, and I ran up a hill to see a bunch of hot air balloons flying by. "Whoa, we get to ride in one of these?!" Sprig asked. "Welcome Sprig, to paradiso." I said. "I'm gonna get a bird's eye view of another world in a flying machine that's powered by fire?" Sprig asked. "Woo-hoo!" All was fine, until we heard Sprig screaming at a balloon shaped like a clown. "Sprig, what is it?" Anne asked. "What's wrong?" "What the frog?!" Sprig exclaimed. "Oh, don't be startled, child, this balloon only looks scary because it was repurposed from a horror movie promotional piece." A man dressed like a clown explains. "What? How could you think that was a good idea?!" I asked. "Well, we weren't about to waste a perfectly good clown balloon." He replied. "Anyways, the name's Blair the balloonist, I take it you're here for the birthday package?" "Yup, I'm 11 now." Sprig explains. "Well, hop aboard, explorers. Couple of quick safety rules before..." Blair said as his phone began vibrating. "Oopsie, high wind alert, sorry guys, but it's too risky to fly just now." "But it's his birthday!" Anne exclaimed. "You make a strong argument, but no can do." He replied. We all sighed. "Can we at least sit in the basket and imagine we're flying?" I asked. "Yeah, heck, you don't even need me for that, just give me a holler when you've had enough." Blair replied, leaving us alone. "Wow, we get to use our imaginations?" Sprig asked. "Neat." "Sure is." I replied. "Forget that." Anne said, starting up the hot air balloon. "Woah, isn't this risky?" Sprig asked. "Relax, we're still tethered to the ground." Anne explains. "What's the worst that could happen?" "Knowing us, there won't be much until something goes horribly wrong." I replied. "Come on, let's seal the deal and make this the best birthday ever!" Anne exclaimed. Before long, we had a beautiful view of Los Angeles, but all that was swept away by a large gust of wind. The balloon was no longer nailed to the ground. "Holy Frog Abuse!" We shouted. "We're gonna hit something!" Sprig screamed. "Not if we can help it." I said. "Anne, you and I can control the altitude, Sprig, use your tongue to help steer us." "Got it." Sprig replied as Anne increased the altitude to avoid a billboard, I decreased it to avoid freeway traffic, and Sprig steered with his tongue. "You're getting pretty good at this." Anne compliments. "Thanks." Sprig replied as birds flew in our direction. "That was a lot of geese." I groaned, spotting a needle. "Sprig, look out!" "We can't move in time!" Sprig exclaimed. "We have to jump for it!" Anne shouted as the balloon popped, hugging both me and Sprig. "We didn't even get to give you your present!" "You guys got me a present?" Sprig asked. "Yeah, dude, it's your birthday." I explained, still falling until we landed in a dumpster. "Whoa, now that was a horror show." Sprig said. "Welp, we ruined your birthday." Anne sighed. "After all this time, I thought we'd be better friends than this." "What? How so?" Sprig asked. "Probably because neither of us knew your birthday was today." I said. "Anne and I thought we could make it up to you with the greatest day ever." "Friend punch!" Sprig shouted, punching us both with his tongue. "Guys, you're my best friends because I love being with you, not because you know what day I was born. And this birthday isn't top 3 because of the crazy stuff we did, it's top 3 because we got to spend it together." "Really, that's like, the greatest thing anyone's ever said." Anne cried, pulling us into another hug. "Thanks, man." "Hey, Sprig, out of curiosity, what are your top 2 birthdays?" I asked, getting out of the dumpster. "Well, birthday number 1 was the day I was actually born and given life." Sprig explains. "Oh, well that makes a lot of sense." Anne said. "What about number two?" "Well, that was when my mom and dad gave me this hat." Sprig continued. "My memory of it is a little fuzzy, but it's an iconic hat, right?" "Yeah, it is iconic." I replied. "Oh, yeah, here's the present we got you." "Yay!" Sprig cheered as he opened his gift. "Whoa, it's a telescope with my name engraved on it. Thanks Anne and Rowena." "You're welcome, dude." We replied. "Okay, let's go home, because I don't want to look at that clown anymore." Anne said, pointing at the deflated clown balloon. "I see it, whenever I close my eyes." Sprig added. "Well, guys." I commented. "Another day, another adventure resolved with no loose ends."