Grendle Green by Brian Doswell (best classic novels .TXT) 📕

big black rock where Grendle lived with his one hundred brothers and sisters, the mower threw lots of little bugs up in the air with the grass clippings. Sometimes when the mower man came past the big black rock, he would hop along behind the mower and try to catch the bugs and worms before they could go and hide again.

Grendle could also see some boys playing a game of baseball with a bat and some coats piled up on the ground for the bases. The boys seemed to be having a lot of fun because they were all shouting and laughing, especially when one of them hit the ball up in the air. Grendle wondered if he could play baseball? It seemed easy enough, if only he could find a bat that he could get his little froggy fingers around. Grendle looked around for a bat. From the top of the stick, he could see a small twig that looked exactly like a bat and so the thought that he would climb down and try it for size. The twig was a bit heavy for him but he managed to pick it up and try a practice swing. Of course, there was no one pitching a ball to him, but he pretended that there was, and he aimed a mighty slog at the invisible ball. In his mind, Grendle saw the invisible ball flying up over the path and into the middle of the park.

Grendle said, “I think that I must be the best frog batter in the whole world.”

Then he thought that to play baseball properly, he would have to be a good pitcher as well, so he looked around for a ball to practice with. He soon found a small round stone, that happened to be just the right size for him to pick up with his little froggy hands. Grendle sat back on his strong back legs and started to swing his arm around like the boys were doing in the middle of the park. Grendle watched them for a while and then he tried again. His arm went round and round like the sails on a windmill. He did not know how many times you were supposed to swing your arm round so he settled for three times. On the third time he let go of the little stone ball, but to his amazement, it just stayed stuck to his sticky little frog fingers. He realised that he had been holding the stone too tightly and so next time he tried a different style. Round and round went his arm, and round and round went the little stone. Then, whoosh, it went flying off into the grass. Grendle was so excited that he almost forgot where his stone had landed.

“I must try that again.” he said.

Grendle found the little stone again and sat back on his strong back legs so that he could pitch another ball. This time he decided to aim for an old brown leaf that he could see about a yard away. It seemed like a long way for him to pitch a ball, but he was determined to try. Round and round went his arm, faster and faster, until he let go of the ball and it shot up in the air. This time he watched closely to see where it landed and, to his surprise, it landed right on top of the leaf.

“I think that I must be the best frog pitcher in the world.” said Grendle.

Grendle hopped over to the leaf, picked up his ball and hopped back to the broken stick so that he could climb up again and watch the boys playing baseball. He thought that he would watch them play for a while and then he would go and join in with them. After all, he could bat and pitch, and there were no other frogs playing, so he would be sure to get a game.

While he was watching, one of the boys hit the ball very high up into the air. The ball hung in the air like a big round snowball, and then started to come down straight towards Grendle. Grendle gripped the stick with his back feet and stretched out his little green arms.

“If I catch this ball, I’m sure the boys will let me play with them." he thought.

Grendle’s eyes were glued to the ball as it flew through the air towards him. In fact he watched it so closely that, at first, he did not see the boy who was running after it, also coming towards him very, very, very fast.

The boy was so determined to catch the ball that he did not realise that he was about to cross the path and in two steps, he would be in the pond.

Grendle suddenly realised that the boy was in danger of falling into the water. He knew that if he could catch the ball and save the boy, then he would be a hero, and they would be bound to let him play with them. He might even become captain of the team, but what could he do?

The ball was coming down quite fast now and the boy was only one step away. Grendle thought quickly, and then made his biggest ever hop up into the air. Grendle held his arms out to catch the ball but the boy got there first. The boy held onto the ball and turned round to throw it back to the other players in one smooth move. Grendle was disappointed that he did not catch the ball but he clapped his hands in appreciation of the boy’s fine catch while he was still coming down from his biggest ever hop.

The boy was still recovering from his throw when Grendle landed on his knee. The boy looked in amazement at the little green frog who, seemed to looking back at him with an equally surprised look on his face.

The boy laughed. “Where did you spring from?” he said to Grendle.

Grendle said, “I wanted to catch the ball for you, but you got in my way.”

The boy did not understand what Grendle said because he had spoken in a froggy croak, but he laughed again and said, “I think that you must have saved me from falling into the pond.”

“Did I?” croaked Grendle.

“I must go little frog.” said the boy and lifted Grendle gently down onto the grass.

“Wow,” said Grendle, “the boy said that I saved him from falling into the pond. That’s quite worn me out. I think that it is time I had a little snooze”

And so he did.


Thursday

On Thursday, Grendle discovers ice-cream and learns to sing, in company with two crickets and a very small dog.

On Thursday morning Grendle woke up bright and early. He wanted to practice playing cricket so that he could join in with the boys in the middle of the park. The sun was shining and he was sure that the boys would be back before long to carry on their game. Grendle also kept watch for the girl on the skateboard because she might give him another ride along the path. He had really enjoyed speeding along on the skateboard and would very much like to do it again.

Today was the fourth day of Grendle’s big adventure and he had come a long way from the big black rock and his one hundred brothers and sisters. Grendle was not worried about being away from home because he had learned so many new things to do and he was keen to see what today would bring.

Grendle had his morning swim in the pond and then had his breakfast before starting out on the next part of his adventure. He hopped for a very long time in a very straight line. He was pleased with himself because on Monday he could only hop round in circles, but now he could hop in a straight line for as long as he wanted.

Grendle hopped and hopped and hopped until he was so tired he just had to stop. He sat still in the long grass and wished that a nice juicy fly would land near where he sat so that he could have a snack without having to go and get it. Soon enough a big fat fly came buzzing past.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz”, said the fly, but Grendle could not understand what that meant and so he ate the fly.

Grendle did not know that the big juicy fly was calling to his friends to tell them that he had found something very good to eat. The fly had found some ice-cream that had fallen out of an ice-cream cone and he wanted to make sure that all his friends could come and share it.

Grendle sat in the long grass munching on the fly when another one came along and made the same buzzing sound as the first one.

“Buzz, buzz, buzz”, said the second fly, but Grendle still could not understand what that meant and so he ate the fly.

Grendle though that this was the very best place to come for lunch, and he decided to tell all of his one hundred brothers and sisters just as soon as he got home. He decided to stay where he was in the grass but he would just have a little fidget to make himself more comfortable. Grendle hopped two small hops onto a nice soft patch of grass ready to settle in for a while, and then, he saw the ice-cream.

Grendle had never seen ice-cream before and he had no idea what it was. All the he could see was a pile of cream coloured, wet and sticky stuff. The pile was slowly moving outwards in a circle. It seemed to Grendle that it was like a pile of water that was spreading out the way a raindrop does when it hits the ground. The sticky creamy liquid was almost touching his toes now and he dipped one cautious toe into it. It was a bit cold, but not too cold. He waved his sticky finger under his nose and the liquid smelt sweet, but not too sweet. He flipped out his long green tongue and licked the ice-cream from the tip of his froggy finger.

“Wow”, said Grendle, “I like that. I think that I will have some more.”

He stuck out his finger again and scooped a big dollop of ice-cream into his mouth. It felt jolly cold as it ran down his throat into his tummy so he sat back on his strong back legs to see if it warmed up inside him. While he was waiting for the ice-cream inside him to warm up, some more flies landed on the dollop of ice-cream and Grendle snapped them up with his long green tongue.

Only a frog would appreciate a good lunch of flies and ice-cream, but even a frog knows when to stop.

“I will be as fat as the big black rock if I eat too may flies,” said Grendle, “I