Once upon a time, there was a great forest where many animals lived. In the middle of the forest was a pond, and in the middle of the pond stood a large rock where Lord Frog rehearsed for his full moon concerts every night.
Because on every full moon, all the animals gathered by the pond to listen to Lord Frog’s performance. No one sang as beautifully as Lord Frog, and no one danced as elegantly as he did.
Only the lyrics gave him trouble. But for that, Lord Frog had a helpful partner: Master Newt. Although Master Newt preferred the deeper, cooler parts of the pond, he came to the rock every morning and wrote lyrics for Lord Frog. Together they refined the songs, the melodies, and the choreography.
Master Newt beamed with delight whenever Lord Frog transformed his lyrics into enchanting songs. And Lord Frog adored Master Newt and all his ideas. They were inseparable companions.
And so it happened that once again there was a full moon. All the animals of the forest gathered by the pond. The hedgehog family sat right at the front by the shore, as they were the smallest guests. Behind them sat the squirrels, sharing nuts amongst themselves (unlike at the cinema, bringing food was allowed).
Sparrows, robins, and owls perched on the branches of the trees. And on the meadow beside the pond, foxes, wildcats, wolves, and deer settled down comfortably. Because when Lord Frog performed his newest concert, all hostility between the animals was forgotten.
Last to arrive was the Rabbit Queen with her entire court. At the end of every concert, she presented Lord Frog and Master Newt with the two most beautiful flowers she had found the day before. She was their greatest admirer.
The moon illuminated the pond like a spotlight shining upon a theatre stage. All the guests had arrived. Master Newt surfaced and sat beside the hedgehog family in the grass. The audience applauded. Lord Frog leapt dramatically onto the rock and began the concert.
Tonight he sang of the moon and the glittering stars, of the secrets hidden within their distant lights. He sang of shooting stars galloping through the endless night sky and of all the wishes they carried with them.
After the final song, a thunderous applause erupted. Lord Frog and Master Newt had succeeded once again! The Rabbit Queen handed Master Newt a blue flower and a red flower. Master Newt swam to the rock in the pond and presented Lord Frog with the red flower. The two artists embraced warmly, and the animals burst into applause once more. Together they celebrated until the early hours of the morning.
The next day, when all the animals would normally have been recovering from the concert, they were awakened by a deafening noise. Smoke rose at the edge of the forest. Iron machines, spewing soot and steam, sawed through and tore down the trees. The forest was in danger!
The birds were the first to flee, for they could simply fly away. One of the wise barn owls landed by the pond. ‘Hold on to my feathers and come with me! The humans have arrived with their machines! The forest is being destroyed!’
Master Newt and Lord Frog looked at one another fearfully. Yet they still had hope. Master Newt replied: ‘Surely, they will not cut down the entire forest. The forest is vast. Humans cannot possibly be so greedy.’
‘Besides, we cannot fly away with you,’ Lord Frog continued. ‘Our skin is thin and wet. If we fly through the air, we will freeze to death. We do not have feathers like you.’
The barn owl bowed to the pair, spread her wings, and followed the other birds. That day, the birdsong fell silent, and more trees came crashing down.
Over the following days, more than half the forest disappeared. The fumes from the machines polluted the pond, and Master Newt and Lord Frog began to cough.
Wolves, deer, foxes, wildcats, hedgehogs, and squirrels left the forest. After a few weeks, only a single row of trees remained around the pond. The sun scorched the dusty ground. The pond had become muddy and filthy.
‘Come with me!’ cried the Rabbit Queen from the edge of the pond. ‘You can cling to my fur, and together we shall search for a new forest and another pond.’
‘We wish we could!’ lamented Lord Frog. ‘But without the moisture of the forest and the wetness of the pond water, we cannot breathe or survive.’
‘We would simply dry out,’ Master Newt continued. ‘We do not have fur like yours to protect us from the sun!’
‘But what will you do then?’ the Rabbit Queen asked.
‘Perhaps the humans will leave soon,’ Lord Frog said. ‘They have taken everything they need. Nothing but the pond and a few more trees are left.’
‘I shall miss you!’ cried the Rabbit Queen. “I will remember your concerts forever!”
One last time, the Rabbit Queen laid two flowers beside the pond. They were the last she had been able to find: a blue flower and a purple flower. Then she left the forest with her court.
The following evening, the pond was almost completely dried out. The humans’ machines felled the last remaining trees. They took all of them. The forest was gone.
The noise was unbearable, and Lord Frog and Master Newt embraced tightly. They remembered all the beautiful concerts and cool nights in the forest. Pressed chest to chest, the last thing they heard was the beating of their hearts. The most beautiful melody they had ever known.
Far away, in another forest, the Rabbit Queen gazed up at the night sky and spotted two new stars in the heavens. One blue and one purple star. They sparkled more beautifully than all the others.
Fabian's Writing 