Emiline

February 25, 2016

The other day our littlest grandchild Gemma spent the afternoon at our house. We were running out of things to do, so we sat down together while I told her a little story I made up on the spot. I used to do this for our boys when they were little, but haven't done so in nearly forty years. As a change of pace, I share with you this little story about friendship.

Once upon a time there lived a girl named Emiline who was very, very shy. She was shy because she had a bump on the end of her nose, and once when she was very small another little girl made fun of her. "Emiline, Emiline, biggest nose I've ever seen," the girl sang. Of course, Emiline felt very sad, and hid in her room, worried that someone else would laugh at her  bumpy nose.

Since she spent all her time in her room, she didn't have any friends, so she decided she didn't need any friends. Instead, one day as she was sitting alone by a pond, she caught a tiny frog and put him in a small box that she carried around with her everywhere. Whenever she felt lonely, she would pull the box out of her pocket, open it up and pet her little frog. The frog just sat in the box and said, "Ribbitt, Ribbitt."

One day she was feeling especially sorry for herself, but when she took the little box out of her pocket to pet her frog, it saw the bump on her nose and thinking it was a fly, he opened his mouth and instead of saying, "Ribbitt, ribbitt," out snapped his tongue. It landed right on the bump on her nose and stuck there. Emiline was so surprised she dropped the box, while the frog dangled by his tongue from the bump on her nose, looking like a big green booger. 

"Mmmp! Mmmp! Emiline tried to shout, but she had to keep her mouth shut so the frog wouldn't 
accidentally swing right into it. She ran down the street shouting, "Mmmp! Mmmp! Mmmp! till she ran right into Julie, who lived next door. "Emiline! Why do you have a frog hanging on your nose?" Julie asked.

"Mmmp! Mmmp!" was all Emiline could say. Just then, Benjamin came walking down the street. Emiline didn't see him because he came up behind her, but he could tell something wasn't right because just then Emiline began to cry. "Mmmp! Mmmp! Bwaaa!" Did you know it's hard to cry with your mouth closed? As Emiline opened her mouth to cry, her frog jumped right in! "Bwaaa! Ptooie!" She spit out her frog, who quickly hopped away to find his pond while Emiline sat down and cried. Julie and Benjamin sat down beside her to comfort her. 

"Do-do-do you really want to sit by me?" Emiline sobbed. 

"Of course we do," Benjamin and Julie answered. 

"Even with my bumpy nose?" Emiline asked.

"Your nose is just right!" said Julie.

"And it's even better without a frog hanging from it," said Benjamin.

And that's how Emiline traded her frog for some real friends.


"Emiline, Emiline, cutest nose we've ever seen!" sang Julie and Benjamin. Emiline touched the bump on her nose and smiled.