The Peanut Butter Lovin' Frog

As Robbie Johnson slowly made his way down the stairs, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and stretched his arms, as he yawned loudly. "Son, is that you?"  his father yelled from the kitchen. "Come eat your breakfast. Your mom made your favorite, peanut butter pancakes." Yes, I know what you are thinking, "Eeeeew!"

However, you must understand, that for Robbie, everything tasted better with peanut butter.  His mom had to buy at least four jars at a time. Robbie not only ate peanut butter on his pancakes, but on his celery; of course his sandwiches, and even with his roast at dinner. Robbie sat eating his pancakes, thinking to himself, with excitement, that by the end of the week, he could be at the pond everyday all day and no more home work for the whole summer.

After school that day, Robbie burst in the front door and headed straight for his room. In record time, he changed out of his school clothes into his fishing pants and lucky t-shirt. He bounded down the stairs, giving his mom a kiss on the cheek just before he floated out the back door. 

With fishing pole in hand and backpack over his shoulder, he ran down the lane to his pond. What Robbie loved more than peanut butter was definitely fishing. He laid his backpack at the edge of the pond on his favorite fishing spot. For Robbie there was nothing more fun or exciting than fishing. Even if he went all day catching nothing, but a sunburned nose, because there was always a chance that a fish would take the bait. 

Jeremy made his home with the rest of his family about four feet from Robbie's fishing spot. Every afternoon, the little frog would watch with curiosity as Robbie settled himself in the same spot. Jeremy was a frog who had the time of his life diving into the cool water of the pond with all of his brothers and sisters. Resting at the waters edge in the tall grass, he squished his little frog toes into the mud. As his family, one after another, would stretch out their long tongues and then pull it back in with a wonderfully plump fly attached; well, this is where the joy ended for Jeremy. He hated flies and all other assorted bugs that made up the frog family menu. What other choice did he have, but to eat them?

Now, because a boy can't live on fishing alone, among the fishing line, lures, and math homework that Robbie promised his mother he would finish, were a peanut butter sandwich and a thermos of milk. As Robbie concentrated with one eye on his fishing pole and the other on his times tables, he would take bites of his peanut butter sandwich. Jeremy watched this same routine every afternoon for as long as he could remember. Today, he decided to find out what the sandwich tasted like because it had to be better than flies! 

As the sun began to set, Jeremy found his way into the backpack just before Robbie shoved his math book and extra lures into it. He slung it over his shoulder, picked up his fishing pole and headed for home, not knowing he had a passenger. 

As Jeremy rode along with Robbie, he didn't mind that he was almost flattened by the math book, because he had discovered the most wonderful thing he could ever imagine, PEANUT BUTTER!!
He had never tasted anything more lipsmackingly fantabulous!
All he could think about was where he could find more, more, more.

That night, Jeremy squeezed his way out of the backpack and hopped into the bathroom sink, where Robbie had left the water dripping. In the middle of the night, Robbie was awakened by a strange noise. It went something like creeeeek and then kerplunk.

Only half awake, he turned over and went back to sleep. The next morning Robbie's mom opened the refrigerator, reached for the peanut butter jar and found it completely empty. "Hmmmmm," she thought to herself. "Didn't I just put a new jar in there yesterday?"
Oh well, she simply went to the pantry and found herself a fresh jar.

Robbie lay in his bed, fast asleep, when it happened again...that same sound woke him. Creeeeek and Kerplunk  And once again, the next morning, Robbie's mother found the peanut butter jar empty. Today, she knew it shouldn't be empty already, so she asked, "Rob, are you eating peanut butter in the night?"    "No, Mom, but I have heard some strange sounds the last couple nights." 

Robbie's mother only smiled. "Well, maybe someone is sneaking into the refrigerator at night and eating all of our peanut butter."
They both laughed.

That night Robbie went to bed, as usual, but he didn't let himself fall asleep. After his parents went to bed, he put on his robe and slippers and took a blanket and a pillow with him to the kitchen. 
What if they had a REAL peanut butter thief? He sat guarding the refrigerator for the longest time, but his eyes grew heavy and eventually his head rested on his pillow; then he heard it! 
Creeeeek and Kerplunk!

Robbie, blurry eyed, thought he saw the refrigerator door shut, but no one was there. All at once, he jumped to his feet and threw open the refrigerator door. To his surprise, probably the biggest surprise of his eight year old life...there was a frog sitting in the peanut butter jar!!! The jar stood empty, as it had the last two mornings. The frog just stared at Robbie with his face covered with peanut butter. For the longest time, they just stared at each other, not knowing what to do next.

The mystery was solved, but what was he to do with a peanut butter lovin' frog? What a better friend to have than someone who loved peanut butter and spending time at the pond.

So, Robbie kept Jeremy and they spent the rest of the summer keeping each other company at the pond. Robbie would fish and Jeremy would swim and squish his little frog toes in the mud at the waters edge. When they got hungry, Robbie would reach into his backpack for two sandwiches; one for himself and one for Jeremy.