500- Tom and the Little Frog

Young Tom noticed that his friend Matthew takes the little frogs, plays with them and tortures them. Tom invited his friends with Matthew for entertainment in the garden of his house. After two hours, Tom said to them, “Let’s swim in the adults’ swimming pool.”

“We fear drowning.” They all said reluctantly.

“Don’t you swim in the big swimming pool?”

“No, we swim in the children’s.” said Matthew.

Tom threw himself in the pool pushing the water with his hands and legs while, they all looked wondering.

“How did you learn swimming?” Matthew asked.

“The little frog taught me.” Tom answered. “I used to take little frogs to play with them. Dad told me to learn something from them. When I asked him what to learn, he told me to observe them while swimming. I began actually to imitate them and I learnt swimming.”

Matthew wondered and since then, he no longer played with the little frogs and realized that he could learn something useful from every living creature.

→ English translation of the story here at St-Takla.org: شادي والضفدعة الصغيرة.

May I be kind with all-living creatures!

And not play with them.

May I learn activeness from the ant,

And from the bee how to extract honey from every flower,

And swimming from the little frog!

I’m Concerned with You

Short Stories (Stories for the Youth) Books by Father Tadros Yacoub Malaty

Gorilla between the Lion’s Jaws