The Frog That Nearly Ends It All
973 Words
The moon hung low, casting silver light through the canopy, and the air had cooled just enough to make every breath feel crisp.
After dinner, the instructors gathered us around the central fire pit, their faces illuminated by the flickering flames. One of them held up a small wooden box and announced the next activity with theatrical flair.
“Treasure hunt,” he said, drawing out the words like a magician revealing his final trick. “Three items. Three locations. One map. One compass. One partner.”
The crowd buzzed with excitement. Some groaned, others cheered. I stayed quiet, already sensing where this was going.
Sure enough, when the pairings were read aloud, my name was called alongside his.
“Aisha Elwood and Stellan Ainsworth—Team 7.”
I stood, collected the map and compass handed to me, and waited for him to join me. He arrived moments later, dressed in a navy hoodie that looked far too clean for the woods and shoes that were clearly not designed for dirt.
He looked at the map, then at me, then at the trees.
“Do we really have to walk into that?” he asked, gesturing toward the dense underbrush like it was a haunted mansion.
I raised an eyebrow. “It’s a forest, not a crime scene.”
He sighed dramatically. “It’s a crime against hygiene.”
I didn’t respond. I just started walking.
He followed, reluctantly, stepping around every twig like it was a landmine. The compass swung from my wrist, and the map was folded neatly in my hand. The first clue led us northeast, toward a cluster of rocks marked with a red X. The instructors had hidden small wooden tokens in each location, and the goal was to collect all three before returning to camp.
We hadn’t gone more than ten steps when Stellan stopped abruptly.
“Wait,” he said, voice sharp. “Something just touched my leg.”
I turned. “It was probably a leaf.”
He looked down, horrified. “Leaves don’t crawl.”
I walked back and shined my flashlight on the ground. A small frog blinked up at us, utterly unimpressed.
Stellan screamed.
Not a shout. Not a yelp. A full-bodied, high-pitched scream that echoed through the trees and probably startled every bird within a ten-mile radius.
I stared at him. “It’s a frog.”
“It’s a monster,” he gasped, backing away. “It has eyes. And legs. And it jumped.”
I crouched and gently nudged the frog aside. It hopped away, unbothered.
“You’re going to scare off the actual treasure,” I said.
He straightened his hoodie, trying to recover his dignity. “I wasn’t scared. I was startled. There’s a difference.”
I didn’t argue and kept walking.
The first treasure was tucked beneath a flat stone, half-buried in moss. I spotted it easily, pried it loose, and held up the token—a small wooden disc carved with the academy’s crest.
“One down,” I said.
Stellan clapped once, then immediately wiped his hands on his hoodie. “Why is everything damp?”
“Because we’re outside.”
He looked around, as if expecting the forest to apologize. “This place needs better flooring.”
We followed the map to the second location, which led us deeper into the woods. The path narrowed, and the trees grew closer together. I moved confidently, stepping over roots and ducking under branches. Stellan, on the other hand, treated every obstacle like a personal attack.
At one point, he tripped over a root and landed on his hands and knees.
He stared at the ground, horrified. “I touched dirt.”
I offered him a hand. “You’ll survive.”
He took it, then immediately examined his palm. “I need a disinfectant. And a therapist.”
The second token was hidden inside a hollow tree trunk. I reached in without hesitation and pulled it out. Stellan watched me like I had just performed surgery.
“How are you so good at this?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I’ve done similar things before.”
He narrowed his eyes. “You mean you’ve crawled through forests and touched frogs for fun?”
“Not for fun,” I said. “For necessity.”
He tilted his head. “You’re not like the others.”
I didn’t say anything. I just folded the map and pointed toward the final location.
The third clue led us to a small stream, where the token was hidden beneath a pile of stones. I rolled up my sleeves and waded in, the water cold against my skin. Stellan stayed on the bank, watching me like I was diving into lava.
“You’re really going in there?” he asked.
“It’s ankle-deep.”
“There could be fish.”
“There are fish.”
He looked pale. “I’m not emotionally prepared for that.”
I found the final token, held it up, and climbed back onto the bank.
He stared at me. “You’re terrifying.”
I smiled. “You’re dramatic.”
We walked back to camp with all three tokens, the forest now quieter, the moon higher. Stellan was covered in leaves, his hoodie stained with mud, and his shoes looked like they had aged ten years. But he was smiling.
“I’ll admit,” he said, “this was kind of fun.”
I glanced at him. “Even the frog?”
He shuddered. “Especially not the frog.”
We handed in our tokens and returned to our tent. As I zipped the flap closed and settled into my sleeping bag, I heard him sigh.
“I still think the forest owes me an apology.”
I laughed quietly, the sound muffled by the canvas walls.
- Writer
