Halfway There| Romeo Beckham

01|The Red Frog

S A Y L O R
It was a very hot day today. So hot, the devil turns back around to leave when he visits. It's expected. It will always be hot here; We don't settle for nothing less.

To others it would've been a smart idea to just stay inside and avoid the heat. Texas folk disagree.

I sat in an old raggedy chair on the porch under the shade. I love that chair. It's been passed down generations in my family. It's paint is halfway gone, and a few scratches show. But that chair has stayed strong for a pretty long time.

I elevated my feet up on the porch's wooden gate. I threw my hands back behind my head and closed my eyes. The soothing sound of birds chirping in trees near me.

Texas has a pretty sweet smell that comes with it. At least where I live, I'm always woken up by the most delicious smells. French toast, breakfast casserole, and sometimes if we're lucky, aunt Mae can be in the mood to make her famous Texan fudge cake. The secret recipe was love... and of course all the chocolate and sugar in the world.

"Saylor!" My eyes flipped open quickly to find a brown haired boy with blue eyes. His hair in a low cut, but slightly ruffled. Almost as if someone just played in it. It was my brother Jackson, who is 5'6. He is 16.

"Can't just come up startling folk like that Jack!"

"It wouldn't be fun that way though would it?"
He mocked. I huffed and put my feet back touching the porch wood.

"What do you want?"

"I found something in the back, come look." He insisted, and walked away.

I guessed that I had no choice now but to follow behind. I got up out of the rusty chair and walked around the back of the house. I found Jackson squatted down beside a water hose and an old chair that nobody really uses anymore.

Jackson heard my footsteps walking behind and he turned his head toward me, "Look, Say." He scooted over so I could get a better view. My eyes met a red frog, I instantly backed up that I nearly fell.

"What is this! Are you crazy!" I got up and dusted myself off.

"What? It's just a frog, Saylor.." he looked into my eyes confused.

"It could be dangerous— poisonous! Back away!" I tugged on the collar of his shirt to get back.

"Stop it will ya'!" He shoved me off. He glared at me angrily while he fixed his shirt. "Anyways," He continued, "This is not just any frog, this is a gold mine." He took a stick I moved it as if he was gonna poke it.

"What are you talking about?"

"We don't carry red frogs in Texas, Saylor," He dropped the stick and stood up,"I don't know how it got here, but it's dead now." He started to walk over to the back door.

"You're going inside?"

"Yep"

"Wait." He stopped walking and turned towards me. He waited for me to speak.

"Just curious... where do you–"

"Where do you find red frogs?" He interrupted. I nodded.