Sean Beacon (On Hold)

Froggy Funeral

The fifth grade classroom is the smallest in the building, due to the fact that there are only twelve fifth graders. It was about fifteen by fourteen feet and could hardly fit all thirteen people.

The walls were painted in peeling black paint and the floors were cement; like they had pulled up the carpet and left what was underneath.

The contents of the room were limited to a large chalk board covering the whole south wall, a bulletin board on the east, a fraying lime green rug in the back for the children to sit on, a desk for the teacher, and a small terrarium in the corner, where Ms. Livingston allowed Eloise and I to house our toads.

The classroom was quiet at the moment because there were currently only four people in it. The people were Ms. Delaware, the reading teacher, Eloise, me, and Peter Lee.

Peter Lee is Mr. Lee's son. Mr. Lee is the second grade math teacher. Peter is as old as me, and he's about as tall as me too, but despite these similarities, he's quite the distinct character.

He is a round boy with untameable red hair, pink skin, and freckles across his big round nose. He usually his navy green T-shirt under a pare of blue denim coveralls and a pair of dingy white sneakers.

The one feature that I would not be able to tell you if you asked, would be his eye color, due to the thick framed Evelyn sunglasses regularly perched on his fat nose.

Peter wears this ridiculous accessory for no laughing reason. The reason for his foolish looking fashion is explained by him as his way of being "blind with style".

However, Blind Pete's most laughable trait is  the film camera that never leaves his neck. Ask him why he takes pictures of everyone he meets and everything he comes upon, and he will explain, as he has time and time again that he plans on viewing the film once he finds his eyes.

No one really knows exactly what Pete means by this, but no one questions him. There's just something about the way he says it that assures you of his sincerity.

I help Eloise empty our new frogs into the terrarium with the other nine. Eloise has names for all of them, but I've never bothered myself with learning them.

I turn to set up my desk but pause when I hear a strangled gasp come from Eloise.

"Oh no..." Eloise begins, poking at one of the smaller toads with her index finger.

"No oh no... Aw no!" Eloise whines as she picks up the motionless toad.

"Ms. Delaware... I... I think Rosy's dead." Eloise explains, sticking out her bottom lip.

Suddenly interested, I peer into Eloise's cupped hands to see the little white toad lying belly-up and unmoving on her palm.

Ms. Delaware comes to Eloise's side, rubbing her shoulders. "Oh, dear. I thinks so. Bring her here, sweetheart." Eloise turns and sets the dead animal in Ms. Delaware's open hand.

"I'm sorry, love, but it is a very small animal. If you're going to keep such things like pets, you need to be prepared for things like this to happen." Ms. Delaware looked down at the toad with a slightly disgusted look on her face.

"Go wash your hands, lovey." Ms. Delaware patted Eloise on the back. "Maybe we can give it a funeral in the courtyard." Blind Pete exclaimed solemnly.

"Yeah, can we?" Asked Eloise, wiping tears off her cheek with her sleeve.

Ms. Delaware looked hesitantly at the thing in her veiny hand. "Um... We'll see."

~~•~~

The three of them stood around a very solemn Eloise as she bent down and place the makeshift mint tin coffin in a hole in the flowerbed.

"At my grandmother's funeral, we all threw in a bit of dirt." Eloise said, tossing a pinch of dirt into the four inch deep hole.

"You next, Sean." She said, stepping aside for me.

Scoffing at the ridiculousness of holding a ceremony for a frog, I bent down anyways and brushed a bit of dirt onto the mint tin.

The fake funeral ended with Eloise putting a rose petal on top if the in noticeable grave.

"I guess eventually, we'll have a toad graveyard out here, huh?" I remarked.

Apparently this remark was not wanted, as I received a smack on the hand from ms. Delaware and disapproving nod from Pete.

But the thought of going to eleven more froggy funerals was very off putting, and you can be sure I won't be attending the next one.