The Bouncy Life of Frederick and Freemont

Friendship between a flamingo and a frog has its ups and downs.

                                                                     about 1900 words

 

 

 

The Bouncy Life of Frederick and Freemont

                                                     By Will Willoughby

 

Once upon a time there were two bouncy toy boys living a perfectly wonderful life on the shady porch, of a sunny house, in a sunny state. They were not everyday toys like a Tonka truck, Lego, a Barbie doll or the Pinocchio type of wooden toys. They were special toys carved out of cherry wood and made by hand in a small mountain town in far away land. A hook with a long springy wire was attached to the toys that gave them their bouncy life. Frederick, a pink flamingo and Freemont, a green bullfrog hung on tiny golden nails and they bounced and flounced about with every passing breeze.  Freemont was a daredevil, a surfing frog with a bright yellow surfboard on his feet. Frederick was pink and pert, his legs smartly crossed and a pretty white daisy adorning his knees.

 

Frederick and Freemont loved their bouncy life and bounced all day long.  The shady porch was the perfect perch because a busy street passed in front of it. The cars, trucks, buses and people hurrying about on the street and sidewalk gave the friends a swell view of the non-stop circus of life. Frederick and Freemont talked a lot about all of the things that they saw every day.   They loved talking with one another and being together, even though Frederick and Freemont were distinctly different. Freemont being a frog was naturally very curious and carefree.   He loved all of the different activities that each day brought his way. Anything new or different was a source of endless entertainment to Freemont. On the other hand, Frederick was a flamingo and flamingos are by nature a bit snobbish and reserved.   Firstly, they are pink, which is indeed rare for a bird and Frederick was keenly aware of his pinkness.   Flamingos have long thin legs that give them the aura of elegance, grace and refinement refined.  Yet despite their differences, Freemont and Frederick became best friends, very close friends indeed, and shared all of their hopes and dreams about life and the future. 

 

And naturally as some boys do, Freemont and Frederick eventually fell in love. This was no ordinary love. After all, they were both boys and that is somewhat different. The surfing frog and elegant pink flamingo seemed an unlikely pair.  Of course, everyone expected Frederick to be a beautiful and elegant bird of the world.  However, they did not look as kindly upon Freemont. After all, Freemont was a frog; what is a frog compared to a flamingo?  Flamingos eat frogs for lunch.  “Humph!”  People would say, “What is Frederick doing with Freemont?  They aren’t in the same league at all.  Frederick is so special and Freemont is so ordinary…just a…frog.” However, for a long time Freemont and Frederick ignored the unkind looks and dismissive tone of others because they were in love.

“Love knows only Love. You have to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince and I found mine in you.”  Frederick would say to Freemont.

 

“It is you and me against the world.”  Freemont responded.

 

Of course, everyone was terribly jealous of Freemont and Frederick.  They seemed very happy, laughed freely with one another and truly enjoyed being together. Jealousy is an insidious thing and slowly crept its way into their relationship. The jealousy of the world wiggled its way into their hearts as well, before either Freemont or Frederick became aware of it. There was a curious thing about Freemont and Frederick.  From their perches on the porch, Freemont was often looking toward the street while Frederick was most often looking toward the house.  Frederick was a homebody and Freemont was adventurous.  Frederick being able to fly had seen much of the world and wanted to settle down with Freemont and make a warm, cozy home. Freemont was not a frog of the world and had the wanderlust.  He wanted to blindly jump into the unknown and hop into new places.  Unfortunately, as much as Freemont loved Frederick, he was not ready for the responsibility of making a home and creating a shared life. Frederick and Freemont began to squabble more and more frequently.

 

“You are so perfect Frederick.  Of course, you never say anything or do anything to upset me.”

 

“Freemont, I’m not perfect.  I just want to talk things out and discuss things with you.  We must not sweep our problems under the carpet. We have to throw them into the light of day where they loose their power to make us unhappy.”

 

“Get over yourself! You are not a shrink…you’re a pink…flamingo.” Freemont responded.

 

Yet they loved each other so much that eventually the squabbles would fade away.  Life got more and more complicated for Freemont and Frederick and soon, instead of laughing and enjoying each other’s company; they were often at odds with one another.  As much as they tired to remember that beautiful sunny day, when they took up residence on that shady porch, nothing seemed to end the bickering and discontent. Discontent is a terrible affliction in a relationship. Freemont and Frederick began to gaze toward other frogs and other flamingos, thinking that perhaps the grass was greener somewhere else. It’s an old cliché but quite true.  Clichés exist because they are indeed true. 

Frederick remembered another such old cliché, “In a every life a little rain must fall.” Well, one day the torrential rains came.  Freemont and Frederick started the rainy day blissfully.  They were cozy, comfortable and had eaten some of their favorite foods.  And yet the rain kept coming and then something happened to Frederick.  He caught a glimpse in Freemont’s eye and heard an odd tone in the sound of Freemont’s voice. Frederick thought to himself. “What can that be? Does Freemont really love me?” The thought made Frederick quite nervous and he began to think and think and think and then think some more.  “Freemont must have met some other flamingo that he likes better than me.”  Frederick thought.  It was impossible for Frederick to rid the thought from his mind and finally he asked Freemont that fatal question.  “Freemont, when we’ve fought in the past, did you ever spend time with another flamingo?” Freemont was sleepy and a bit tired, so he answered Frederick quite quickly and probably without thinking.  “No. They always say, ‘don’t you have a boyfriend?’  It’s too much trouble to meet another flamingo.”  

 

Freemont’s answer made Frederick’s heart beat fast and his head start to pound. Did Freemont realize what he had just said?  ‘They always say…It’s too much trouble...’ Frederick suspected immediately, “THEY always say,” meant there were THEYS, not just another flamingo but more than one flamingo.  THEY!  THEY!! THEY!!!  Frederick started acting like a lawyer and began interrogating Freemont. The usual squabble quickly became an all-out battle. Freemont grew more and more angry at Frederick. There was no time to breathe, to think, to try to calm down. The battle became more and more heated and then suddenly Freemont left. He bounced off the porch and down the street disappearing into the rainstorm. Frederick just bounced and bounced and bounced as the wind and rain battered him to and fro.  He could not think, he could not eat, and he could not drink. He could only cry and wish that Freemont would come home but Freemont did not come home. The day turned to night and then a little before midnight Freemont returned.

 

“Where have you been?”  Asked Frederick.

 

“Under a bridge, talking with a friendly frog.”  Freemont tersely responded.

 

Frederick became inconsolable and their battle resumed only this time worse than before.  Freemont, red eye furious, bounced off the porch again and into the night as the rain poured even harder. Frederick couldn’t even bounce anymore.  He just cried without stopping. He cried so much that his tears poured as heavily as the rain.  Frederick was made of wood and put together with just a bit of glue. The moisture from his salty tears, flowing down his wooden body, loosened the glue that held his wings together. As he cried on that shady porch, he suddenly heard a noise, the sound of something banging on the wooden floor of the porch.  Frederick looked down, blinked the tears from his eyes and then he saw his wooden wings lying in a puddle of tears and rain. “I’ve lost my wings.”  Frederick thought to himself as a deep sadness filled his heart.  “I’ll never fly again. Freemont is gone and there is no one to repair my broken wings.” Frederick could not even cry anymore. He just bounced endlessly, staring straight ahead without seeing anything. Frederick’s heart was broken, his wings were broken and his dream of a warm and cozy home with Freemont was broken.

 

The night passed and the morning sun, though hidden by lingering rainclouds, brought gray light to chase away the darkness. Suddenly, Frederick was startled out of his stupor by a sound.  Freemont, looking ruffled and wrinkled, trudged onto the porch. Frederick immediately noticed that Freemont had lost the beautiful yellow surfboard that had been attached to his feet.

 

“What happened to your surfboard, Freemont?”  

 

“The glue got wet and it came off.   I lost it somewhere in the night.” Freemont replied.

 

“Where were you all night,Freemont? “

 

“That’s none of your business. Nothing about me is any of your business anymore.  We are done.  I need to be other frogs like me and not a pink flamingo.”

 

“Freemont!  Please don’t say….” Frederick couldn’t finish speaking.  Freemont glared at Frederick and said,

 

 “You are so perfect aren’t you, Frederick? You know everything. You never shut up.  You have to talk about everything and you never listen to anything that is important to ME! I hate that stupid daisy on your knee.  I hate you. I don’t want to be with you anymore.  I don’t LOVE YOU!“

 

“Freemont, we do love each other.  We can figure things out.  Just give us a chance.”

 

“I’ve given us too many chances already. I’m done with you, Frederick.  I do not love you.  I do not respect you.  You are dead to me.  Good luck in your perfect lonely life.”

 

“What happened to those sunny, happy days together?” Frederick asked.   “What happened to us?  What happened to our love and our dreams?”

 

Freemont didn’t answer, turn or look back toward Frederick. He headed out into the gray morning light and out of Frederick’s life forever. Frederick could not find any answers and a deep emptiness filled his little wooden heart.  Frederick would never fly again and he knew his heart would never soar with happiness again. His heart would slowly become an echo chamber filled only with cobwebs. Frederick still bounced on the shady porch, in the sunny city, in the sunny state but he was bouncing alone in the passing breeze, he had lost Freemont forever. He spent the rest of his long empty days remembering the way Freemont had made him bounce with laughter, even when there was no breeze. Frederick could only sigh and think of everything that might have been.   

 

The End.