Discover Mare Martell

03/09 :  The Unfortunate Frog

  

Before he was old and gray and the most powerful wizard of all time; Before his name went down in history, Merlin's youth was spent as a stable boy. His lack of skills in the trade amounted to his spending more time hiding from the stable master, Gustav Tallhands, than actually doing the work. Merlin's head was filled with more than the manure he shoveled when he was caught and forced to do it. He was constantly dreaming, dallying at each task given which caused him to be quite a sore most of the time.

When he escaped the watchful eye of his master, Merlin hid down by the creek in the loving branches of an old weeping willow. When he hid, he dreamed of being something more than a servant to his master. The trees that thirsted for the rushing creek, crowded its shores. This left a brilliant mulch of dead, dry, and dying leaves around his hiding place. If anyone approached, the leaves lifted an uproar in the typically gentle sounds. This alert system sent Merlin scampering up the branches of his tree-haven in alarm where he hid until the danger past.

One particularly hot afternoon, Merlin dangled his feet in the babbling water while thinking deep thoughts about life. He pondered what he wanted to be when he grew up. While he absentmindedly swatted away biting bugs, his thoughts drifted lazily to his growling stomach. But as sure as the day was hot, Merlin's train of thought derailed onto another track. He wondered how the water knew where to go. So many things to think about, so many things to dream about, Merlin lost track of time.

"RBBBBBBBBT!"

Merlin jumped as the sound of the frog call startled him from his thoughts. Having spent quite a bit of time by the water, Merlin knew that it was far to hot for frogs. His green eyes searched the shore.

"RBBBBBBBBT!" said the frog, as if to encourage the young man.

He stood up in the water, careful not to wet the bottom of his breeches as he scoured the stubborn grasses for evidence of the frog. The frog repeated his croak loudly. He spotted the amphibian sitting on a log a short distance away from where he stood. He slowly waded towards the calling creature.

"It's okay little buddy. I won't hurt you. I want to be your friend." he said in a deep, clear voice. "Just hold still. I wonder why you're out in this heat."

He waded to the log until he was able to reach the handsome green creature. He held out his hand expecting the frog to jump into the stream. The frog remained. Merlin picked the ordinary looking frog up into his cupped hands. When he did, however, the most extraordinary thing he'd ever experienced happened. The frog glowed with a golden halo of light.

"It's about time!" croaked the annoyed frog. "I've been waiting for you to find me for two days now!"

Merlin was so surprised that he nearly dropped his new companion. Instead he fumbled madly to keep the talking frog safe.

"Oh for pete's sake, you big galoot! Be careful with me!"

"I'm...I...I." stammered Merlin. He recovered his balance and his composure. "I'm sorry. You startled me. I've never..."

"Yeah, yeah, and yay verily." said the animated frog dismissively. "Get me out of this heat and under your tree so we can talk."

"Yes, of course." Merlin said shakily. His brain swirled with questions for this odd critter. He carefully waded back to the shore, getting his breeches wet despite his earlier caution. He pushed through the thick foliage into the cool shade beneath the willow.

"Set me down." instructed the frog when Merlin hesitated. "Then you sit down and I'll tell you my story."

Merlin obeyed the frog's instructions, boggling at the whole freakish scenario. This, even in his wildest fantasies, was not what he'd ever expected. He sat the frog on a cushy pile of willow branches. He sat himself facing the diminutive being cross legged with his elbows resting on his knees.

"I am not from your time," started the frog. "My name is Kazim. I come from centuries in the future."

"That's not possible!" exclaimed Merlin.

"Neither is a talking frog, kid, but here I am." retorted Kazim. "Now if you'll shut your yap and listen."

Merlin apologized again to his unusual friend. His mind was filled with a million thoughts of: Why? Who? What? It buzzed so loud that he was having a hard time concentrating on the story at hand or flipper as the case stood.

"I am not from your time." Kazim began again. "I am from centuries in the future. I found you because you are the only one that can help me. How lucky was I to land near the greatest wizard of all time?" Kazim chuckled with an odd croak.

"Wait. The greatest wizard of all time?" inquired Merlin. "The only wizard I know of is Melton the Mediocre. He's three days ride away to the north." Merlin shrugged as he shifted his weight. "Maybe you mean him?"

"No. You're Merlin, right?"

"I am, but I'm no wizard. I'm a stable boy." Merlin leaned back against the tree trunk while skeptically staring at the frog.

Kazim sighed with a half croak at the end. "I'm in the company of an idiot. Look kid, that's not what you're supposed to be doing. That's not your destiny. You are destined to be the greatest wizard of all time. We need to get your life on track so I can get back to my time." he said in a croaking authoritative voice. "We need to go see this Melton guy. Maybe he can help you get started."

"I guess so." said Merlin, not entirely convinced. "But what will I do for food? Shelter?"

"Look kid, sometimes you just have to go on faith. You have to trust that it's the right thing to do."

"I don't know." hesitated Merlin. He got up and paced in the cool shade. "This is to much to fast. I have no idea how you started to talk. I don't even know what I think right now." He plopped down, this time facing away from Kazim. "This is way over my head."

"What if I told you a bit of what I know from my history?" prodded the frog. "What if I gave you examples of your future accomplishments? Would that help?

Merlin twisted his hands thoughtfully. It took him a while before he nodded to Kazim.

"Good. Where do I begin? Talk about funny, I have to tell you your future before I tell you my past. Anyway, the history books that I read speak of the greatest wizard of all time. That's you. He wanted a perfect kingdom with a perfect ruler. To find out who should be the next king, he...I mean you, placed the great sword Excalibur in a stone. it remained there for many years. Many tried to remove the sword; Many failed. Until Merlin found a young man named Arthur who was destined to rule. Arthur is the one who took the sword from the stone."

"Look, I'm just a stable boy! I don't believe this!" Merlin practically shouted. He jumped to his feet and paced again. "I must be sleeping." Merlin wiped his hands over his sweaty face.

"You're not. Just listen." said the frog patiently. "It gets better."

Merlin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over the chest, leaning back against the tree.

"So where was I?" thought the Kazim aloud.

"Arthur taking the sword." prompted Merlin.

"Yeah. So Arthur got this kingdom all set up and created the Knights of the Round Table. This was all done under your guidance as court wizard, of course."

"Of course." Merlin scoffed.

Kazim continued his history lesson while Merlin's thoughts drifted through the unlikely story he was bring told by a frog. How mad would anyone think he'd gone if he told them that he, Merlin, the stable boy, was going to be the greatest wizard of all time? They'd all laugh at him. But if he explained that he had it on good authority from the words of a futuristic talking frog?

"No." Merlin said interrupting the amphibian. "The sun got to me today. You are just a thought I have...or a dream. Yeah, a dream."

"I am not a dream! Are you even listening to me? I'm far from being anyone's dream."

"I'm going to wake up and everything will be the just the way it was when I fell asleep." Merlin continued without paying any attention to the small creature. Merlin closed his eyes tightly. "This is all a dream." he repeated.

The frog waited while Merlin attempted to make things revert.

"Uh, Merlin?" said Kazim, aware that someone was coming.

"I am now awake and everything is back to normal." Merlin stated as he opened his eyes to find the stable master pushing through the low hanging curtain of willow branches.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?" said Gustav with a menacing, yet toothless, grin.