Matthew held the frog by its leg. It struggled to get free.
“Come on,” he ordered, “Just stomp on it.”
Jason whispered, “I don’t want to kill the frog.”
“Don’t be a chicken! Just put your foot down! You want to be a man don’t you?”
“Yeah, but…”
“Do it!”
A giant tear rolled down Jason’s face. Giving Matthew a final glance, he turned and ran away.
“Baby!” Matthew called after him. Frustrated, he picked the frog up and threw it against a tree. It landed with a sad thump on the forest floor.
That night in bed, Matthew cried.
(I feel like I have to add the following statement: This is a work of fiction. No animals were harmed in the making of this story. I do not condone abuse of animals. However, the literary merits of childhood bullies make for good fiction.)
Awwww, poor frog. :( My sister and I used to collect toads (and frogs, if we could catch them--they were super fast!) from around the farm we lived on and put them in a bucket and play with them for the day. Then we would let them go and they'd hop off on their merry way. But I remember once I accidentally ran over one with my bike and I cried. We weren't sure if it lived or not; we put it in the bushes and it was gone later.
ReplyDeleteAnd wow, that was a random memory. Your short fic made me all nostalgic--er, not about killing toads, about playing with them. >_>
Even if it was based on a true story I wouldn't have assumed you were condoning the action. It is a scene you've painted that truly mimics life. The fact that you humanize the bully at the end is even more powerful as it suggests his violence stems from a place of hurt.
ReplyDeleteGreat short.
Yey! My first award! Thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteDid Matthew cry or Jason? Seems like Jason should be. Or maybe Matthew was upset he hurt the frog after all.
ReplyDeleteI liked the post. Kids can be so mean and you captured the peer pressure perfectly.
Aw, poor frog! Great post though, I loved the voice.
ReplyDeleteGreat short-short, and the ending brings it home.
ReplyDeleteTerrific "F" entry.