A Tale of a Frog

In the beginning there were only two orange-brown frogs, male and female.  They were quite afraid of all the large animals of the forest that they called their home.  The male, Ray (meaning one who pretends to be brave), lived in a hole just beneath a perfectly prickly pine tree.  The other, La (meaning one who is beautiful and afraid), dwelled in a hollow log near the dark, dangerous Dillo river.  Ray was (and had always been) deeply in love with lily-like La, who in turn wanted nothing to do with him. 

“ Oh, La!  I adore you!  You shine like the sun on a cloudy day! How I love you so!” Ray stated histrionically. 

“What is this nonsense!?  Get away from me you lunatic!  If I am the sun, you are the moon!  We are complete opposites!  I don’t love you, and I never will!!!”La retorted annoyed.

  This caused Ray to become dreadfully poignant.  He tried everything to earn her love;  he gave her flowers everyday and cleaned her log for free once a week.  On one especially dreary day, an idea came to Ray, and he put it into action.  He went off in search of the supplies he needed.  Around the world he voyaged and discovered red, yellow, green, blue and black paints.  He found the red paint in Australia, the yellow in Brazil, the green in France, the blue in Canada and the black in China. 

Ray put the paints in small glass jars and brought them back to the rainforest that he called home.  Then Ray took a bundle of pine needles, dipped them in the green paint and brushed it onto his body and head.  He painted his legs yellow, his webbed feet black and his belly red.  He grabbed the last paint, blue, and splattered it onto his back to create spots.

On the following day, Ray hopped to La’s long, light-filled log.

“Come in!”  Was the reply to Ray’s gentle knock, so he entered.

“Oh, La!  I adore you even more with each passing day!  Do you love my colors and I?”  Ray cried desperately.

“Nice colors, but like I stated earlier, I never will love you; so you can kindly leave and please don’t come back!”  La replied as she shoved him outside and slammed the door in his face.  Ray simply sighed.

That night, he was so saddened by La’s reaction that he resolved to fast, with the exception of ants.  He mostly ate crickets, never ants.

In the morning, he stuffed his mouth full of ants and hopped out of his hole under the perfectly prickly pine tree.  On his way to La’s house to inform her (again) of his love, he accidentally stepped on a cricket.  When it came into contact with Ray’s skin, it died.

“Oh no!  I’m all wet and I smell like...POISON!!!” Ray shouted, then realized.  “This will make La love me for sure!  We can paint ourselves and eat ants to be poisonous!”

Once Ray reached La’s long, light-filled log, he croaked, “La!  We don’t have to fear the large animals anymore!  You can become poisonous, just like me!  You may also paint yourself in many colors!  Oh La, I know this is a little straightforward, but...will you marry me?”

“Yes, yes and double yes!  You are a genius, Ray!  Now I will paint myself too!  How did you become poisonous?”

So they lived happily ever after and that is how the incredible Poison Dart Frog came to be.

-Written and Illustrated by Abby Dortch