The Frog Who Made the Rules

At the duck pond behind the school, a frog made all the rules. He sat on the biggest stone in the middle, and he watched everyone.

One morning, a new duck came to the pond. She did not know the rules. She swam in fast and splashed water everywhere.

“Stop!” said the frog. “You must be polite here. You have to greet everyone before you swim.”

So the duck said hello to all the fish. “Better,” said the frog.

Then the duck found a big green leaf, full of soft little flies. She began to eat them all.

“Stop!” said the frog again. “You have to share. You can't keep all the food. That is not fair.”

So the duck pushed half the leaf to the fish. “Better,” said the frog.

The duck did everything the frog said. She was polite. She shared. She behaved well. But the frog never said hello to anyone, and the frog never shared his big stone, and the frog always ate alone in the middle of the pond.

That night, the duck looked at the frog on his stone, all by himself.

“You have many rules,” she said. “But you don't follow them. You don't greet me. You don't share your stone. Is that fair?”

The frog said nothing. He looked at his big, empty stone. Then he looked at the warm group of fish and the friendly new duck.

In the morning, the frog jumped off his stone. “Good morning,” he said to the duck. “Come and sit. There is room for two.”