“Helen dear, why
is there a frog on the chair next to you?” the king, who had just sat down for
the midday meal, asked his beautiful daughter.
With downcast
eyes, the princess shifted uncomfortably in her seat and kept quiet. The little
batrachian creature with shiny eyes and a green mottled coat explained, “This
morning, the princess lost her golden ball when it rolled into the pond,
dimpled its surface and disappeared completely.
Diving into a
pond to recover things is my strong point, and I was delighted when the
princess gave me her word of honour that I could live with her if I
retrieved the plaything for her. But she reneged on her promise, Your Majesty.
She said to me, “ Buzz off – I have other fish to fry.”
“Is that true?”
the king asked the princess. She nodded and said, “ I wouldn’t be seen dead
with a frog.” Placing an arthritic arm over her shoulder, the king said, “Promises
should never be broken.”
With a grim
expression, the princess invited the frog to jump onto the table. “What’s this
in the golden bowl?” the frog asked, as glutinous saliva dribbled from his
mouth. “Vegetable soup,” said the king. “For an amphibian, it could be an acquired
taste.”
As the frog
slurped his food, making swishing sounds like water purling between rocks, the
princess said to her father, “ For crying out loud, our tablemate doesn’t
care that it is bad manners to break your bread or roll in your soup!”
After lunch, the
princess reluctantly invited her guest to her room. When he hopped onto her
bed, she couldn’t control herself anymore. Gritting her teeth, she picked him
up and deposited him on the floor. And the frog turned into a wispy cloud of
smoke, which instantly metamorphosed into a handsome prince dressed in his best
bib and tucker!
The princess
smiled in relief when the prince told her that a wicked witch had cast a spell
on him that could only be broken by the touch of a princess. Her brow
corrugating, she asked, “Will you turn into a frog again?” “ Definitely not!”
said the prince. “What is more, I intend to ask a beautiful princess to
marry me!”
One’s strong
point – something at which one excels
word of honour –
a sincere promise
buzz off – go away
have
other/bigger fish to fry – to have more important matters to attend to
wouldn’t be seen
dead – would have nothing to do with; strongly dislike
acquired taste –
something one learns to like over time
for crying out
loud – an exclamation of irritation or exasperation
one’s best bib
and tucker – one’s finest clothes
what’s more –
also/furthermore
(459 words)
Adapted from: Idiomania
Star2 Tuesday 28 August 2012
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