The four boys sang happily as they walked to the town's pond to cool off, since school was not an option for the day.
Tommy apologized for starting the fight.
"It's okay," Ethan said, "at least we stood up to them."
Manny nodded, "remember, we are a team, right?"
As they walked away from the incident, Manny felt so proud. Despite their differences, and the fact that they always kept being bullied all the time, he and his friends had proven that they were stronger together than when they were apart.
They had refused to let what happened pull them down. They reached the town's pond, and it was time for some action.
Manny took off his clothes, ready to lunge into the pond. Ethan saw the mark on Manny's arms. He came forward to inspect it. It was almost as if a tiny, invisible bee had scratched him.
He was perplexed. Bees don't usually leave marks like that.
"This is strange," Ethan remarked-and reached inside his bag to bring out a mini-microscope to inspect the place.
He took out his paper and began to write down some equations and some possibilities of something.
"Ethan, this is not the time for mathematics! It's time to play!" Tommy said as he jumped into the big pond and let out a large splash.
The frogs in that area swam in the opposite direction for safety.
By the side of the pond, they noticed a group of frogs and those frogs were sunbathing by the bank of the river.
"Hey! Look at those frogs," Manny said as he pointed at them.
His friends laughed and started throwing rocks at the frogs. The frogs jumped into the water, splashing around in panic.
"That is so funny," Manny shouted, laughing.
His friends cheered and continued to taunt the frogs. Tommy grabbed a frog by its hind legs and held it in the rays of the sun. The frog kept wiggling around looking for a way to escape before Tommy let it down in the pond.
He put it between his legs, so the frog would not run. "Now, guy, I'm sure you're a boy, I want you to dance for us."
He made the frog stand up straight, and he held its forelegs and moved it from side to side, as if mocking it and making it dance.
The frog wobbled and Manny's friends laughed in mockery.
"The frog thinks it's Michael Jackson," Ethan commented, and this made the group laugh louder.
The frog was in pain. The other frogs waited for it by the side of the river, hiding in the bushes in fear.
Ben, Manny and Ethan clapped and encouraged Tommy to continue.
"Nah, I'm gonna make it a popular musician. What should I name this band? Tommy and the frogs!" Tommy mocked as he swung out his arms to show the action.
"Be careful Tommy, that frog might take over the world and make millions of dollars," his friends mocked.
"Nah.. Tommy, it's okay now, I gotta go pee," Ben said as he made it to the side of the bushes to pee.
Tommy refused to let go of this one frog. He took out a case that looked like a cage and put one of the frogs in it.
"You're coming home with me buddy, you are gonna be my best friend. I like you," Tommy remarked as he looked at the frog with kind eyes.
He kept the frog on the bank of the river and continued to swim.
The frogs, seeing that they had lost the battle and may never get their friend again, retreated into their secret hole by the side of the pond. "The prince of frogs had a limped leg," one of the frogs announced.
The queen of the frogs ran to the entrance upon hearing that her son was wounded.
"What happened?" She asked the guards in horror as the medical team came to retrieve the prince.
"We were sunbathing and this boy… a blonde boy and his friends began to attack me and our group."
"Sunbathing! What happened to the pool in the palace? How many times have I warned you not to go to the big pond? These humans. They don't like us. I've told you times without numbers," the queen said in horror.
Her crown fell to the side, and she wore a defeated look on her face.
She did not ask her guards to report to the animal headquarters but Mrs Jane the bee had seen what was happening and had marked it down, including sending a signal to Mr Snake about what had gone on in the frogs' kingdom.
Mrs Jane watched in horror and shook her head at Manny. It seemed the six days that were remaining for Manny to turn a new leaf were going to come to an end soon enough.
"This boy never learns, does he? Six more days.. six."
Mrs Jane left the control room and went to cook some lunch for her children. She reached the house and her kids were running around the place, watching bee TV.
Her husband, Mr Bumblebee the drone, was lazing around waiting for lunch.
"I hope you are not lazing around waiting for lunch. Go help the other drones get some nectar."
Mrs Jane then laid to take a nap after she had fed and bathed her kids.
Manny, on the other hand, was done bathing with his friends, and they attacked a nest of wasps.
The nest was hanging from a tree. They threw rocks at the nest and the wasps emerged from the nest, buzzing angrily.
"Run!" Manny yelled and he and his friends took off, running as fast as they could.
The wasps chased them, stinging all the boys, and Manny managed to escape unscathed.
The boys were tired of their cruel day, and they began to head home. The frog that Tommy had left in the little cage escaped from the cage and swam into the water for safety.
Manny and his friends finally left the pond and its inhabitants in peace. But little did they know that their actions did not go unnoticed.
That night, as the boys slept soundly in their beds, they were awakened by a strange sound. It was a chorus of croaking voices, and it grew louder and louder. Manny scrambled out of bed, his heart was shaking with fear.
He screamed with so much fear, and it made his mother and his aunty run to his
room in the middle of the night.
"What is it, Manny? You screamed so loud," his mother asked with worry in her voice.
"I had a nightmare."