A Short Story: Herman the Frog and a Place to Call Home

The next morning, when Herman arose, he jumped out of bed, hurriedly washed up, got dressed, and then enjoyed a bowl of Fly-O’s cereal to keep him fueled and going throughout the day. Before leaving, Herman took a final glance through his home to ensure he was not leaving anything of necessity behind, then grabbed his luggage cart and left to start his journey to Shroomville. Herman’s neighbors watched as he lugged his cart down the road. "Where are you going?" a rabbit called out. "I’m headed to Shroomville." "What-ville?" a tortoise croaked. "I’m headed to Shroomville!" Herman shouted with glee, and then he began to share out all that he had imagined Shroomville to be, as if he knew it to be true.

Herman retraced his steps from the day before through Stone Forest and then waited for the golden light up yonder to appear. As Herman waited, he noticed the friendly caterpillar from the day before. "Hey," Herman called out, realizing then that he never asked the caterpillar for his name. "Hey!" Herman shouted, and then the caterpillar glanced over at him, and after realizing it was him, began to slither over. "On a journey I see," The caterpillar said noticing the luggage cart as he approached Herman. "Yeah, I’m going to Shroomville just like you said." "Well then, you better not dilly-dally any longer; the golden light is just up yonder," the caterpillar said, and then Herman looked up just as the golden light was coming into focus. "Safe travels, you’re just a daybreak away," the caterpillar said and then started to slither away, "Wait, what’s your name?" Herman called out, "Everyone calls me Buddy, but you can call me Bud." The caterpillar replied with a smile and then headed on his way.

Herman followed the light up yonder for several miles, stopping only occasionally to rest his legs and eat; Herman had packed honey fly bars, dung fly trail mix, and fruit fly baked chips. At daybreak, Herman came to the entrance of Shroomville and took a deep breath before crossing the threshold. As Herman walked into Shroomville, he could not believe his eyes. Shroomville was all that he had imagined and more. There was bright and colorful foliage, flora, and fungi as far as the eye could see, and a lake right in the center. Funky, psychedelic-patterned homes with sweet, salty, and savory aromas billowing out of the windows, and creatures scampering about enjoying the day in a variety of ways, from storytelling to meditation to a hacky-sack toss tournament. Herman thought to himself, "Wow," as he pulled out a bag of dung fly trail mix and savored the moment.

Herman strolled around Shroomville for the better part of the day and then took a break to find lodging. He came across an empty mushroom cap home and decided to move in and make his home there. After unpacking and decorating, Herman started to whip up a horsefly casserole for dinner and a fruit fly cake for dessert. The savory smells of the horsefly casserole and the sweet aromas of the fruit fly cake brought neighbors to Herman’s door. Herman was elated to have guests so soon and welcomed his new neighbors, sharing with them his horsefly casserole and fruit fly cake. Over dinner and dessert, Herman shared about his meeting with the caterpillar in Stone Forest and his day trip to Shroomville. His neighbors listened eagerly and then shared about how they had come to Shroomville. Benny the bullfrog was originally from Meek Valley. Josephine the Lizard had come to Shroomville by way of Grotto Cavern. Sunny the toad was from the Canterwater Grasslands, and Becks the turtle was from the wetlands near Asher Lake.

Herman and his neighbors stayed up talking for the better part of the evening. Herman was thrilled to learn that his neighbors enjoyed some of the same activities that he did back home, like tai chi and white-water rafting on lily pads. Most importantly, Benny, Josephine, Sunny, and Becks loved Herman’s fashion sense, and each wanted Herman to help them make a special outfit for the Shroomville Glow Party coming up in three weeks. Herman and his neighbors stayed up for the better part of the night discussing their outfits for the Shroomville Glow Party.

~ To Be Continued