by Sarah Earlene Shere, ©2025
(Feb. 14, 2025) — Once upon a time, a selfish little princess was playing outside with her golden ball. At one point, she threw it so high that it fell with a bounce and bounced right into a pond. Luckily, sitting on a nearby lily pad was a frog who saw the whole thing. “I will retrieve your ball,” said he, “if you promise to take me back to the palace with you and treat me with the respect deserving of a royal.” You see, the frog was selfish, too.
The little princess agreed (with no intention of following through). Thus the frog retrieved the ball. But, the moment the princess had it back, she ran home as fast as she could, leaving the frog behind. That night, the king answered a knock at the door. In hopped the frog, demanding his payment for fetching the ball. Upon hearing the story, the king commanded his daughter to keep her promise. Reluctantly, she obeyed and ordered the servants to comply with all the frog’s demands of being treated “with the respect deserving of a royal.”
The years went by, and as the frog and princess grew, they began to mature and become less selfish. In fact, they became best friends, sharing the duties of the kingdom and serving the people. One day, as they rode through the village, the princess’s horse was frightened and bolted. The frog jumped from his place on her lap and attempted to stop the runaway. He was successful, at the cost of his life. The princess wept over the body of her friend and kissed its head. Suddenly, the frog began to breathe again, and transformed into a handsome prince. Realizing the deep love that had grown between them, the princess and her frog prince were married and lived happily ever after!
Moral of the story: True Love changes those we love and gives life.