Chapter 1
Mr. Frog was walking home one day when he noticed a little hole in the side of a tree. Normally he never paid attention to these sort of things, for there were a lot of holes in a lot of trees - but this one was different. He wasn’t sure what it was that made this hole so different, but he couldn’t just past it up without giving into his curiosity.
There was a story that for many years had been past down from generation to generation. It was a story that the children listen to without making a sound and one that adults would find themselves stopping to listen to whenever it was told. he story was about a deep tunnel, hidden somewhere in the forest, that leads to a land that each person had their own description of. Some said that anyone that found it could stay there and live forever - that there was nothing bad there, and everything was peaceful. Some said that it wasn’t much different from the forest, and that over the years, this wild tale has grown about it that wasn’t even true. There was even one old man that warned people of the dangers that could be found should this place ever be visited - everyone had their own idea of what was to be expected if this pace was ever found. One thing that was known about the entrance to this "place" was that it was shaped as a leaf, and had a scent that came from inside that smelled of a pine tree, yet the tree itself was not a pine tree. No one seemed to know how this came about, who started this tale, or if it was indeed a true story. Either way, it was a story that caught the interest of everyone that heard it.
Staring at the hole, then at his path ahead, and then back at the hole, Mr. Frog went back and forth about whether or not he should look inside. After a few minutes, he couldn’t take it anymore, he had to look.
"By golly, just as I thought!" Mr. Frog said, "This is the hole I have been hearing about!" He was so excited about his find that he could hardly contain himself. "Should I go tell the others, or check this out for myself right now?" he asked himself aloud.
He stood there, not going to close to the entrance, but stood just far enough so he could look in every once in awhile. There wasn’t much to see however, the hole was dark, but he could see by the shape of the entrance, and the smell that came from it, that this was the hole that everyone in the forest was talking about for so many years.
copyright © 1997 Jaime L W
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