The Children and the Frogs

A frog peeks out of the water among the lilypada

Once upon a time a group of children ran down to the pond near their neighborhood. There they began a game of skipping stones and throwing rocks across and into the pond. What fun they were having as they searched for more and more stones and threw them with greater and greater splashes into the depths of the pond.

But underneath the water the inhabitants of the pond were not having such a fine time. In fact they were being hit by those rocks. Their homes were being damaged and their bodies torn. They trembled at the bottom in fear. Finally the oldest and bravest frog swam to a lily pad on the surface of the pond and croaked loudly. The students stopped their games and looked.

“Please children, do stop your terrible game,” said the frog, “While it might seem like simple fun to you, it means death for us.” And the frog hopped back into the water.

Did the students stop their game? I hope so. What do you think?

A rock you toss in a pond cannot be gathered back, nor can you know the damage it may do underwater. Likewise, a cruelty posted online cannot be undone. You may never know all the hurt it has caused.

An Aesop fable, retold by Elisa Pearmain in Once Upon a Time: A Storyteller’s Guide to Character Education and Bullying Prevention.