The Owl and the Frog

Chapter 4: Adventures with Anne

As of now, I want to try to get this first Arc completed as soon as possible. Partly because it's all original, but also because I want to get the action in the other worlds (as I'm sure you're all eager to see) so the chapters in this first Arc may get updated more frequently than other chapters. Plus, they are likely to not be as long as other chapters. Also, as of the time of this writing, COVID is still wreaking havoc in the US, so unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), I have more time for writing as I'm not working as much. I still have a job; I just don't work as much. I'll aim to upload one chapter a week. I can't guarantee that, but I'll do my best.

Again, thanks to all who leave reviews. I do enjoy reading them, and I hope that you all are enjoying this story. One final note, I used Google Translate for the Thai phrases in this chapter, so they might not be 100% accurate. Sorry in advance if that's the case.

Luz felt the wind in her face as she pedaled hard through the forest trail. Occasionally, a small tree branch would whip against her, but she paid it no mind. Luz stared behind her and saw Anne a short distance away, keeping pace with her. Anne had invited Luz to go biking and had shown her a new trail that she hadn't seen before. Luz enjoyed being out in nature. As much as she loved watching TV and playing video games, every now and then, it was important to go outside and connect with nature. The two kept biking and eventually came to a clearing in the forest. In the middle of the clearing was a small pond. Luz and Anne decided to stop and take a break by the pond. Anne walked up to the pond and grabbed a few stones that were by it, handing one to Luz.

"You ever tried skipping rocks?" she asked.

Luz responded by tossing her stone in the pond, managing to make it skip three times. Anne responded by throwing her stone and getting it to skip five times. The girls laughed at this and sat down in the grass, staring up at the sky, the clouds, and the trees. Around them, the sounds of birds, insects, and the forest itself hummed. The two girls relaxed, enjoying this quiet hideaway. Luz turned her attention to the trees and saw an owl on one of the branches. As she looked more closely, though, something about the owl seemed off. It was tiny, and its features were square, almost as if it were made of wood. Maybe it was just her imagination, but Luz could have sworn the owl was looking straight at her.

"Anne, check this out," said Luz, pointing to the owl.

"Huh?!" replied Anne.

"Look at that owl on that branch over there," said Luz. "Doesn't it look odd to you?"

Anne looked to where Luz was pointing and saw the owl. Though it was too far away for Anne to get a good look at it.

"I'm not sure what you think is strange," said Anne. "It looks like an ordinary owl to me, though it is adorably tiny." With that, the owl flew away from the branch it was on. It disappeared into the sky, almost as though it were aware it was being watched.

"That's weird," proclaimed Luz. "I feel as though it knew we were talking about it, and it flew away."

"I think you're reading too much into it, Luz," said Anne. "Oh, hey, check that out." Her attention turned to the pond, where a small frog had hopped onto the shore near the girls.

"Ah, look at the little guy. He's so.... Wait, that's a strange color for a frog, isn't it?" asked Luz. As the frog came closer, the girls were able to see that it was indeed a light pink color.

"Hmmm, I've never seen a frog that color," said Anne as she stared at it, getting as close as she dared.

"Careful, Anne, that might be a poison dart frog," advised Luz. "Though I wonder what one is doing here? They normally inhabit the rainforests of South America."