The rain came down for such a long time that it left a pool of water standing in my yard. My sisters hopped around to make it splash. That looked like fun so I jumped in too and stomped my shoe. Splat! Splat! A great big splatter hit my face, dripped off my nose, then ran down into the corner of my lip.
The clouds were dark and the sky rumbled loudly but I wasn’t afraid. I took a deep breath. It started pouring like lemon-lime koolaid from my Abeula’s pitcher. It rat-a-tat-tatted when it hit the shinny roof and felt cold when it plopped on the back of my neck. Splat!
My shirt stuck to my chest. I squeezed my nose closed with my fingers, tilted my head back, and caught a cupful in my mouth. It trickled down my throat and left a salty taste on my tongue. My eyes felt so heavy I didn’t want to open them. Splat!
My hair got sopping wet; plastered on my head. My sisters twirled with their arms stretched out but no matter how they tried, they couldn’t a drop get.
I thought I saw legs tumbling from the sky. Confused when they hit the ground, they jumped around and knocked against my cement wall. I ran over, squatted down, and pushed one with my finger. Oh, my gosh. It is an ‘ole green and brown toad!
I helped it cross the bump in the grass and it looked at me as if to say, “Thanks, pal, it is wet and cold down here and hard to get any traction.” I held it in my hand and put my other one on top to warm it and keep the rain off. I took a pulse, rubbed the toad’s tummy, and determined it was fine. Then I put it in my treasure sack to keep it safe for a short time.
I saw another one tumble from the sky. Then another and another. Toads were raining everywhere; all tired, wet, and cold. How could I manage this huge family which continued high to pile? “That is a very strange way to become a father,” I sighed.
I thought I must give each a name or I would never know whether Tom was Mary or Jim was June or Gary and that would be a shame. So, I set out to do my job but when I named four, there were two more, then twelve and twenty-eight.
Soon there were forty-four green and brown toads and twenty-one brown and green ones. There were six named Mary: Mary Ella, Mary Kay, Mary Ava, Mary Glyn, Mary Abuela, and Mary Mary. There were four named James: James Paul, James Hall, James Zane, and James James. I named three Stevie: Stevie Don, Stevie John, and Stevie Ron. Only fifty-two toads were left to name if only it would not more toads rain. I hoped for the sun to shine soon so the magic would go away.
I found a box and gathered all the toads but almost as soon as I dropped them in, they jumped right out again. I shut the lid on number ten and thought I had done well, but then it popped back up and out hopped Mary Sue.
I thought I might get frustrated but then I saw my yellow lab dart around the corner of my house. “GeGee,” I yelled, “go back. You can’t come over here. Go back. Please, GeGee, go back.” But she just wagged her tail, that’s how she laughs, then barked and spotted my half-full topless box.“
Oh, GeGee. How could you?” Now I have seven toads and one leg of number eight. I don’t remember whether they are Mary, James, or Stevie. I just know they are brown and green and green and brown and plenty.I am so proud of all those toads but my sisters said I would get warts that stay until the day I die and maybe even longer. I told them I would rather have warts than a pony tail and ribbons. They put their hands over their mouths, snickered, and skipped into their playhouse.
The rain finally stopped and I was saying goodbye when a big arch showed up in the sky. It looked like someone had used my whole box of markers, maybe two oranges, and I wondered whether there was a candy store inside. I wanted to peek so I looked for stairs at the bottom but never even saw a ladder. So, until I went to sleep that night I thought, “what was that thing sticking out of the sky?”
I lost two of my seven and now only have five but when the toad fairy comes tonight, under my pillow she will find a very grand surprise!
© Coninc, TheBackYardKids.com, Short Stories For Short Folk (Library of Congress 1-147158261, pending)
