Once, in a pond where the water was very clear and the lily pads were very round, there lived a little frog. The little frog was green and soft. The little frog loved to jump. Boing, boing, boing. The little frog had a big smile and bright, happy eyes. The pond was a happy place. The sun felt warm on the little frog’s back. The water made a gentle swish-swish sound against the shore. The reeds in the water swayed slowly in the breeze. It was a very good day to play and splash in the cool, blue water.
In the middle of the morning, the little frog saw something bright sitting on a flat gray stone. It was a round, blue bead. It was as blue as the sky and as shiny as the sun. The little frog had never seen anything so pretty. "Oh," said the little frog softly. "This is a very special treasure." The little frog picked up the bead. It felt smooth and cool in their little green hands. The little frog wanted to keep it forever. It was so shiny and so blue. The little frog held it tight and felt very lucky to have found such a beautiful thing.
Just then, a little duckling came swimming by. The little duckling looked very sad. The little duckling looked under the yellow flowers that grew by the water. The little duckling looked under the big green leaves. "I lost my blue bead," the little duckling said with a small, sad voice. "It is my favorite thing in the whole pond. Have you seen it?" The little frog felt the blue bead hidden in their hands. The little frog looked at the sad duckling. But the little frog really liked the bead. "No," the little frog said softly. "I have not seen it."
The little duckling sighed and swam away to look by the tall grass. The little frog sat on a big, flat rock. But the sun didn't feel as warm anymore. The blue bead was still shiny, but the little frog felt a funny feeling. It was a heavy feeling in their tummy. It was a bumpy-thumpy feeling. The little frog looked at the bead. It was beautiful, but the little frog did not feel happy. The little frog felt very, very quiet. The water didn't sound like a happy swish-swish anymore. It sounded like a sad drip-drop. The little frog knew that keeping the bead was not right.
The little frog thought about the little duckling. The little duckling was a friend. Friends help each other. The bumpy-thumpy feeling in the little frog’s tummy grew bigger and bigger. The little frog knew why. The little frog had not told the truth. Telling a story that wasn't true made the little frog feel like they were carrying a big, heavy stone. "I want to feel light again," the little frog whispered to the wind. "I want to feel happy and bouncy again." The little frog realized that being honest was more important than having a shiny treasure.
The little frog jumped off the rock. Hop, hop, hop. The little frog jumped over a twig. The little frog jumped over a daisy. The little frog found the little duckling near the tall reeds. "Wait!" called the little frog. The little duckling turned around, looking very tired. The little frog held out their green hands and opened them wide. Inside was the shiny blue bead. "I found it," the little frog said. "I am sorry I didn't tell you before. I wanted to keep it, but it belongs to you." The little frog took a deep breath. As soon as the words came out, the bumpy-thumpy feeling went away. The heavy stone in their tummy was gone.
The little duckling’s eyes grew wide and bright. "You found it! Thank you, kind friend!" The little duckling was so happy. The little duckling gave the little frog a gentle pat on the shoulder. They sat together by the water, watching the ripples move across the pond. They shared some sweet, crunchy clover. The sun felt warm again, and the pond felt like a happy place once more. The little frog felt very light and very good. Being honest felt like a warm hug from the inside out. It was much better than keeping a shiny bead that didn't belong to them.
The sky began to turn pink and orange. The sun was going to sleep behind the soft green hills. The little frog was very tired from the big day of jumping and learning. The little frog swam back to their favorite lily pad near the edge of the pond. The lily pad was soft and held the little frog just right. The moon came out, looking like a big silver coin in the sky. The little frog closed their eyes and let out a long, happy breath. The pond was quiet. The stars were twinkling. The little frog felt safe and happy because their heart was honest and true. Goodnight, little frog. Sleep tight.
