The Harrowing Journey of Jabba the Frog

Once upon a time, there was a big aquatic frog named Jabba who usually ate by playing fetch with his food nuggets. But one day Mamma decided she would let the aquatic frog have 15 minutes with lots of food in a seperate cup which would keep Jabba's water cleaner. Mamma put Jabba in a tall glass, put lots of food in, and went upstairs for what was supposed to be a short put-Annie-to-bed trip, but ended up being a two-hour time period. Eventually, Mamma came back downstairs. Jabba's glass was empty! True stories of other aquatic frogs escaping from bowls and dying in the far corners of houses leaped to Mamma's mind, as well as the future conversation with five-year-old Leia Rose bursting into tears when told that Mamma killed her one and only pet frog. And for the next half an hour, Annie watched Elmo while Mamma searched in those far corners. No Jabba. Then Mamma analyzed the wet spot & slime trail where Jabba obviously sqirted and squirmed around the kitchen island before splatting flat on the floor only to squirt and squirm somewhere else. Mamma's best determination was that Jabba ended up under the stove. Out came all the pans & the oven drawer. Ah, so many natural rasins that used to be grapes under there, not to mention six years worth of dust and food particles. Yummy. Mamma flashed the flashlight in the corners. No Jabba. Mamma cleaned the entire area beneath the stove (finding in the process a last photo tile of Leia, lost when the family first moved in). Mamma's next best determination was that Jabba ended up under the refrigerator. Out came the refrigerator. Ah, so many more natural raisins that used to be grapes under there, not to mention six years worth of dust, food particles, . . . and the tiny snoopy that went to the Charlie Brown Christmas ice skating decoration from Santa that we all SWORE Annie swallowed. Mamma flashed the flashlight in the corners. No Jabba. Mamma decided to clean the entire area beneath the refrigerator. Hmmm, lots of magnets under there, . . . what is that big fuzz-ball with eyes? Could that be Jabba?!? No. Mamma went over to the fuzzy mass, which looked exactly like a miniature angora cat. Mamma approached the fuzz-kitty and it MOVED! Not only was this slimy fuzz-ball Jabba, but he was ALIVE. Mamma couldn't believe it. She picked him up with a paper towel. She threw him in the sink. She squirted him with the squirter. Jabba squirted and squirmed around as if he had just escaped. Mamma filled Jabba's cage with bottled water. (Doesn't every froggy deserve a day at the spa after a harrowing journey like this?!?) She gently put Jabba back in his cage and, except for a few dry spots, lack of appetite, a renegade poop, and a few extra air bubbles periodically emerging from his mouth, Jabba swam around as usual. Jabba had survived. Jabba was none the worse for wear. Jabba, . . . had a story to tell. And thus ends the harrowing journey of Jabba the frog. ; )



Yes, aside from Leia's ever-favorite Tell-Me-A-Mistake stories, . . . this is her latest true-story favorite, except she insists that I leave out the word "harrowing" and call it "The Journey of Jabba the Fluff-Ball Frog." Does this kid want a cat, or what!?! : )