The Geyser's Punishment and Prize

They all turned together. They just stared at one another for a long time. The Froggans then gathered in a loose huddle and all started chatting at once. Bibby was unable to comprehend a word. All but the one with the fedora had taken off their hats, and they were rapidly taking out slips of paper, reading them, and throwing them away. The paper slips quickly filled the air behind the Wailer, dispersing in the wind like confetti.

Bibby watched, puzzled yet captivated. Then they all stopped as suddenly as they had begun. Out of the fifteen or so people in the crowd, the person wearing the fedora moved forward. When it extended its hand, another Froggans retrieved a slip from its own hat, hopped over to give it to the leader, and then leaped back into the crowd.

Clearing its voice and straightening its posture, the fedora-wearing Froggans read, "Blue roses are better than red, since white are too abnormally plain." Seemingly waiting for her answer, it sat down again, let the slip sail away on the wind, and croaked.

"Well, you all certainly like nonsense, don't you?" was all she could manage to say. when she was accompanied by the first Froggans she had ever encountered. Now that Bibby was looking at it, he could see that its eyes were a little bigger than the others'. It took off its top hat, produced a piece of paper, and wrote, "The elephant will step on the barber's rooftop soon." She set aside the observation.

The other Froggans started hopping, croaking, and reading their own slips of paper before Bibby could even attempt to comprehend. After appearing to come to a silent consensus, they frantically grabbed the big-eyed Froggans that were behind Bibby. They croaked and appeared to giggle as they brought it toward the blowhole. The victim-Froggans appeared oddly at ease. Bibby reminded herself that it was absurd to believe that a Froggan could appear composed.

It all happened too quickly to follow. The victim was dumped by the Froggans onto the blowhole's closed valve. It was stepped over by the one with the fedora, who was now strangely dressed in a bathrobe. One of the other Froggans held a slip of paper that said, "Sleigh-bells ring only when the trees are felled late." The victim-Froggans were launched high into the air and over the edge as it tapped the skin adjacent to the blowhole with a strong water jet from The Geyser. Bibby scurried to the edge and looked over, worried about the one Froggans who had appeared to enjoy her. She was greatly reassured by what she observed.

The Froggans had safely landed just on the back of another Wailer that had been swimming slightly below.

Bibby turned around as the other Froggans approached her. As they placed her on the blowhole, she abruptly shrank to their size after they seized her. Another slip was handed to the bathrobe-wearing, fedora-wearing Froggans, who read out loud, "Arlie got everything wrong in the wisdom search." Then she was in the air, descending through a spray of freezing water, which changed to a freezing sensation, and finally she was only surrounded by the smell of the sea and salt. Around her, blue-white hues swirled in swishes and stripes. She felt the lack of heat, smelled poison, saw strings, and then landed with a rubbery bounce. All of it vanished, to be replaced by warmth, life, and vision.

"Hello there, what's your name, then?" A voice on her right asked. She was too exhausted to respond. She simply turned over and dozed out.

The next time she woke up, the roar of a Wailer's Geyser filled her ears with the sound of croaking, shouting, and joyful laughter. When she opened her eyes, she saw that the blowhole was surrounded by a group of roughly twenty Froggans wearing bandanas and big eyes. They were pushing their heads into the stream of icy saltwater, purposefully setting off The Geyser. Those who weren't standing were stepping, not hopping, and the majority were standing. They would lose their footing and stagger away when they pulled their heads out.

She saw one Froggan passionately gesture to another while leaning its full upper body over the blowhole. The first Froggans were thrown into the air by the blast that resulted from the other stepping on the skin close by. It was aiming for a landing close to the tail, but the Wailers in the pod suddenly accelerated. The Froggans flew onto its back beside Bibby after the tail swatted them away. Leaning over it, she sat up abruptly, recalling that she was now its size.

As it lay still, she watched it anxiously and questioned, "Are you all right?"

With a fist in the air, it suddenly leaped to its feet and twirled around. "WOOOOOAAA! Man, that was wickedly sweet! It screamed, "You guys must try that!" and dashed back toward the throng. It halted, pivoted, and made its way back to Bibby. "Hey, why are you on this Wailer as a chick? It's not exactly the safest one. Another Froggans attempted the same stunt behind him, completely missed the tail, and tumbled off the edge screaming.

The person conversing with Bibby turned. "No, you idiots, use the tail to time it! "It's fantastic!" he exclaimed. He faced her once more. "So, I suppose you're wondering about the name of the wonderful amphibian you met."

It was a relief to talk to someone who could actually have a conversation, so she said, "Of course."

The man is called Squishington. "Isn't that a vile name?"

"You think your own name is vile?" Bibby inquired. She couldn't understand somebody not enjoying their name when she had always adored her own.

"Obviously not. He gestured to the Wailer, who was swimming a little distance away, and said, "That guy in the bathrobe over there is Squishington." "The person who believes that the amazing gift known as the geyser is a form of punishment. I promise you, dude, that if I were stranded on the same Wailer as him, I would irritate him whenever I could simply to try. Fantastic, dude, fantastic."

"Really?" Bibby inquired, thinking it strange that one person might take pleasure in what another saw as a punishment.

"Yes, dude! "Once you get used to it, the thing rocks!" the Froggans exclaimed, as though it were obvious. "It hurts like murder the entire time, but everything gets better once you learn to handle it like a man. You think nothing is important. He examined her from head to toe. Or, you know what I mean, like a lady. I apologize for discriminating.

"What?"

"You know, man, take it like a lady!"

Yes, everything is fine! "Take it like a man" is fine with me. But thanks, Bibby responded, fearing he would leave to join the others. "I don't think I've ever heard someone say 'take it like a lady' before," he remarked. "What's your name?" she inquired after pausing.

"What's my name? I'm not familiar with yours, so why don't you tell me first, dude?" It sat casually next to her, leaning back.

"Oh, indeed! I apologize. She replied, "People call me Bibby," but he cut her off before she could repeat his name.

"Whoa, girl, whoa! Did you notice that I asked for your name rather than what people call you? What is that, then?

Why do people in this place use your name rather than your nickname? Bibby pondered. "Well, my name is Barbera, but people call me—" she responded.

"Hey, dude. I just wanted your name, as I mentioned. You realize there's no need for more details?" he remarked. "So, Barbera is your name? You don't resemble one at all. You must have a nickname. Spin-snatcher, Azure-bop, Wheely-lad, Noxious-vapors, or Sprayed-gone are some examples of fascinating things. He hesitated. "That last one might not be it. spreads misfortune everywhere. similar to the man who just fell. He was called Plunge-faller. You know, they had no idea what they were thinking when they gave him his name.

"Well, do I get to pick the name?" she said, annoyed that he had not mentioned her favorite name.

The Froggans appeared surprised. "Dude, of course not! It simply doesn't work that way, dude. It's like trying to ride a kangaroo backwards." It got to its feet and took her hand. "Come on." Back toward the Froggans huddled around the blowhole, he guided her.