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Whenever Anne envisioned her final coming back to Earth, she pictured it differently than this. It was bound to be stressful; returning home after five months missing was no small thing. Knocking at her house door with three walking, talking, intelligent frogs was only going to make everything worse. And that's not even mentioning showing up with neither Sasha nor Marcy at her side.
And her problems were only starting.
Anne was hiding the Plantars in a garbage can, hoping to ease her parents into the whole 'trapped into another world' concept before showing them the giant frogs, when Sprig began to moan.
"I'm not… feeling too hot right now, guys," Sprig groaned. He was sweating much more than what a cold-blooded amphibian was allowed to. "My gut's killing me and I feel a million ants under my skin."
Anne should've known what it was. She knew the symptoms. But her mind was overworking on the thought of meeting her parents again and she ignored Sprig's laments.
She gave him an apathetic reassurance. "I'll give you an antacid at home. For now, try to power through it. And remember, don't come out 'till you hear the signal."
Polly said to Sprig, "Yeah, and stop being a whiny baby."
With the Plantars safe and secure, Anne went to face her parents. Good Frog, she'd missed them. For five months, Anne has lived with a hole in her heart, which only got bigger with each passing day. And now, it was the smallest things that fitted it. Her mom's scent filling her nostrils, her dad's beard scratching her face. That first hug was enough to bring her back home. Anne was whole again.
She cleaned the tears out of her eyes and backed out a bit. She was about to explain everything when the garbage can exploded in a whirlwind of energy. A beam of blue light blinded the humans. They didn't see the tall figure running at them until it smacked into Anne, throwing her, and him, to the floor. The light dispersed, and Anne was greeted by a familiar mane of orange hair, and two not-so-familiar human eyes.
The boy on top of her shouted. "Anne! I need your help. There's something messed up with me. I was on fire, and then I exploded! Emotionally. Or literally? Definitely literally."
The words and the gestures were familiar, but it was the voice that gave him away. "Sprig?!"
Sprig gave her a confused look. Hop Pop and Polly rushed to their side. Hop Pop shouted, sick with worry, while Polly berated Sprig for not awaiting the signal. They stopped in their tracks at the sight.
Sprig was now several feet taller and pale-skinned. He sported a nose and long noodle-like limbs. He was, for what everyone could guess, human. Anne wouldn't believe it if he wasn't on top of her, crushing her ribs with his new weight.
She gave her parents an apologetic look. "Aaaand this is Sprig," she said.
Sprig, finally noticing his change, gave the Boonchuys an awkward smile. "Your new… frog son?"
The Boonchuys stared at them, mouths wide open. And then Mr. Boonchuy fainted.
Sprig freaked out. "OH MY FROG I KILLED YOUR DAD!"
He didn't. Mr. Boonchuy was just easy to impress (and shock). He got over it quickly and an hour later, both parts of Anne's family were sitting in the living room. Anne was nearly done relating her adventure, with the aid of a series of crude drawings (all of them her own doing), while her dad spoke up.
"OK. Let's just… hold on for a second," Mr. Boonchuy rubbed his eyes. "I can almost wrap my head about the magical box, the other world, and the talking Amphibians —I mean, I'm looking at them right now."
To this, Polly gave a kick to his face and laughed mischievously.
Anne apologized on her behalf. "Sorry, sorry! She's testing her new legs." She picked Polly up and dropped her in Hop Pop's arms.
Mr. Boonchuy cleared his throat. "The one thing I don't get is why there's a human boy in here?"
"That's what I want to know, too," said Mrs. Boonchuy. "I thought you said it was a frog boy who found you."
"I am a frog boy!" shouted Sprig. He was sitting on the individual couch in the most awkward way possible, both legs over the cushion, long arms dangling from each side. "Just not at the moment. Right now, I'm a human. Like you guys! Hey, I wonder if I can lick my own elbow now."
Sprig lifted his noodle arm and tried to lick his elbow, finding it impossible. The rest of the family ignored him.
"Yeah, about that… Looks like using the Box —the one that transported us to Amphibia— gives you the power to change forms," Anne explained. "I thought it only let you turn into an amphibian, but I guess it can change an amphibian into a human, too."
Before questions could be asked —and there were many questions about this—, Hop Pop chimed in. "Does that mean you can't turn into a frog anymore, Anne?"
Anne's parents looked dubiously at her. The girl laughed maniacally. "Oooh right! I was about to mention that when someone stole the words out of my mouth." She glared daggers at Hop Pop, then sighed and addressed her parents. "Well, you guys are already in the know, so you might as well see it."
She closed her eyes. She thought about life in Wartwood. Tallgrass and giant insects. Swamp water drops falling down your slippery skin. She remembered a world so large it was overwhelming, but she also recalled being small and agile, and cunning. It took longer than usual, with how anxious she was, but eventually, she felt the familiar blue fire kissing her skin.
Anne opened her eyes and, ba-da-bum! The world was big, and she was a small frog.
"It worked!" Anne cheered. "See guys? This is what I'm talking about."
Anne's parents didn't share her enthusiasm. If a giant man-eating spider had entered the room, it wouldn't have shaken them this much. Mr. Boonchuy passed out, again, falling over his wife.
Mrs. Boonchuy sighed.
"Aaaand your dad's out again." She rearranged her husband so he was sleeping on the couch, and not drooling over her lap. "You certainly can shapeshift. But I still don't know how that —or that," she pointed at Sprig, who was playing 'I got your nose' with his own nose, "is possible."
Hop Pop was happy to clarify that. "It's magic, ma'am. Lots of it where we come from. You get used to it eventually," he said, not clarifying anything at all.
Anne hopped over the couch. She was small enough to stand up on the armrest. "I don't know if it's magic. Marcy said the Box changes your body so you can better fit in. Something about the energy of the person being compatible with the world's energy…" Anne hesitated, her blue hue turning slightly red. "I don't know. She's better at explaining this than me, but she's… stuck in Amphibia."
Quick glances and silences were shared with the Plantars. Mrs. Boonchuy noticed it, but she didn't mention it.
"Can Sasha and Marcy turn into frogs too?" she asked, truly curious.
"No, no. Sasha can turn into a toad, and Marcy into a newt," Anne said with humor as if it was obvious. "I guess the Box turns you into what species you would fit better? But humans are a big deal on Earth, so there aren't many options for Sprig to change into."
Sprig was done with his nose and was in the process of measuring his tongue. He gave a thumbs up when he noticed he was being watched.
Mrs. Boonchuy whistled —as do all people whose head is about to explode with information.
"This is a lot to take in," she said, and a smile grew on her face. "But you're here now, and that's what's important. Even if you're smaller and… gooey."
Anne patted her cheek, making a wet splat noise. "I get it. The slime takes a while to get used to."
Sprig chimed in. "I don't know, I kinda miss it." He rubbed his hands over his arms, legs, and head. "Hehe. I have hair everywhere! Hey, I wonder…" he searched for his pants-
"NO!" shouted everyone at once.
Hop Pop pulled Sprig's arms up. "How about not in front of the nice lady?"
Sprig mumbled an apology. Mrs. Boonchuy hummed. Not a good sign. A quiet mom meant a thinking mom (which was bad).
"And what are we going to do with them," Mrs. Boonchuy pointed at the Plantars. "They're not staying here, right?"
"Why not? They took me in," Anne retorted.
"That's different," said Mrs. Boonchuy and squeezed her head thinking in what way it was different. "I mean, we have a government here. Let the authorities protect your friends."
"WHAT?!" Anne croaked. She didn't mean to yell but… No, actually, she did mean to yell. "You can't take them to the government!"
Mrs. Boonchuy countered her daughter's defiance with a cold stare. "Why not? For what matters, they are immigrants. Let them ask for asylum-"
"And say what? 'Yes, hi, we're immigrants. Where do we come from? Another world. How did we come here? In a Music Box. Also, in case you missed it, we're giant, talking, frogs!' They'll be cut open over the dissection table before they finish introducing themselves!"
The phrases 'cut open' and 'dissection table' floated around the room, freezing Hop Pop in his seat. "Uhm. Care to repeat that last part?"
Hop Pop plead was ignored. Anne and her mom were fully concentrated in a force-of-will gaze contest. Those were both famous —and frequent— in the Boonchuy house.
Mrs. Boonchuy said, "I heard you said they can turn into humans. There's no reason they have to hide themselves. Look over there, the boy seems pretty- Would you cut that out!"
Sprig took his thumb out of his belly button and put his shirt down.
Anne said, "Sure, Sprig looks human now, but it comes and goes. It took me a month and a half to change at will. Can you imagine if Sprig went full frog on Main Street?" Anne sighed and dropped her head, losing the gaze contest. She was too happy to see her mom, and arguing didn't feel right. "Mom. Please. I know this is a lot but I owe it to them. A-and they'll be great guests! Right guys?"
Getting the cue, the Plantars struck a pose and made their best, cutest, pleading face. It worked miracles in the past. The last of Mrs. Boonchuy resolve melted away.
"I'll have to discuss it with your father," she sighed, "but they can stay."
All the frogs, including Anne and the former —now human— frog boy fist-pumped the air.
"Thanks, mom! You're the best." She extended her arms for a hug but was left hanging. That stung. "Too slimy?"
Mrs. Boonchuy's lips lifted into an uneasy smile. "You know what? Let's give it a try."
She opened her arms and Anne jumped into them. It was a good hug. A fantastic hug. Healing. Perfect.
SQUEAK!
Oh, crud.
"Anne." Mrs. Boonchuy began. "Did you just squeak?"
Anne, feeling the froggy urge to hide under a hole, jumped out of her mother's arms and hopped off. "Oops, look at the time! Better show the Plantars the house." She made a step towards the stairs. "Come on guys! First stop is the bathroom —and yes, I'm implying somebody here stinks."
"You stink!" Polly protested.
"I know. I was talking about me," said Anne.
Mrs. Boonchuy watched her daughter in frog form walk upstairs, followed by the former frog, now human boy, an elderly frog-man, and a violent pollywog. She briefly considered she'd finally snapped and was strangely content about the possibility.
At her side, her husband stirred and sit up, holding his throbbing head.
"Ouch, what a headache… I need to stop doing that." He scanned the living room, finding it surprisingly empty. "W-what happened?"
Mrs. Boonchuy put a hand on her face and breathed in. "What's the most sensible way I can say this?" she mused, then bluntly said: "Our daughter's back. She's part frog now, and her adoptive frog family is living with us from now on."
Mr. Boonchuy went from dazed to stone-cold serious at the speed of light. "Seriously? THAT'S the most sensible way you could've dropped this news?"
Mrs. Boonchuy shrugged. "I'm a 'rip the band-aid off' type of woman. I warned you when you proposed to me."
Mr. Boonchuy rolled his eyes but said nothing. She did warn him.
Later that night, Anne was back in her human form, walking the stairs up to her room. Hop Pop and Polly were merrily chatting with her parents over something on the TV. They'll all be one unified family earlier than she'd thought. That made her happy.
She opened the door and found Sprig, still in his human form. He was facing the mirror, checking himself like he'd done countless times today. His face was painted in confusion.
Anne quipped at him. "Don't stand there too long. Human mirrors are not immune to breaking by ugliness."
Sprig leaped when he heard Anne's voice, and frowned once he processed the words. "Har, har. Says the little blue frog who couldn't win Miss Wartwood."
Anne frowned and hid her hands in her pockets. "Hey, I could've won if it weren't for the talent competition. Stupid beauty pageant judges. Cooking is definitely a talent."
She joined Sprig and watched their reflections. It was… freaking her out, honestly. Sprig was a human, for Frog's sake! A very distinguishable human, too. He was way taller than before, but still a whole head shorter than Anne. He had bright eyes and big eyebrows and a cute button nose. Like most boys his age, he was all arms and legs, but his height revealed he'll grow up to be quite tall. The only thing unchanged was his mane of orange hair.
Although Sprig's clothes had changed size with the transformation —as Anne's usually did—, Anne had suggested a change of wardrobe. Sweatpants and a white shirt with a frog painted on it, plus a swamp-colored jacket-hoodie. A yellow scarf completed the outfit. Anne had picked those clothes deliberately.
"If you feel you're going back to frog form while outside, just pull the hoodie and the scarf up. You'll look like a short human," Anne told him and added. "Unless someone catches you mid-transformation; then we're screwed."
She was pretty proud of her fashion choices. Sprig looked like a regular human boy —except for the goggles, which he had made clear he wouldn't take off.
Sprig noticed Anne staring at him and said, "Thanks for the clothes, by the way. I feel super humanized now." He stretched his frog t-shirt. He adored it unironically and Anne had the feeling that, much like the goggles, he'll never take it off again.
"No prob, bob," said Anne. She couldn't keep her gaze out of their shared reflection.
They looked nothing alike, yet her brain was screaming 'We are the same'. Sprig seemed as puzzled as her.
Anne asked, "So what's on your mind? Still getting used to the look?"
Sprig shouted excitedly. "Oh, you have NO idea! Everything feels so weird. My arms are super long and strong, but my legs are super weak. Check this out."
Sprig pushed himself off the ground. A few inches up, barely a leap.
"What was that?" asked Anne.
"A hop," Sprig breathed out. "Jumping is hard in this body."
Anne laughed, feeling giddy. "I know just the feeling." She closed her eyes and focused.
The transformation happened quickly now. Anne's frog form was just as impressive as Sprig's human form, for exactly the opposite reasons. She was laughably small. Still taller than frog-sprig, but way shorter than a frog her age should be. Her hair was mostly the same if slightly shorter. Anne usually tied it up while in frog-mode; it made hopping easier. Her skin was a deep blue with black patches on her back. It was the kind of look you would see in a biology book with the caption 'Don't let the pretty colors fool you. She's pretty poisonous!' And she was. But not lethally. She should warn her mom about it, though.
"When you're a frog, hopping comes naturally," Anne went on, hopping tall and smacking the room ceiling. "Remember when I was getting used to this form? I smacked my head into the ceiling so many times."
"Heck yeah, you did! I think we never patched that hole you made at the house," said Sprig. "Oh, and that's another thing. I'm soo tall right now." His voice was a bit panicked.
"Pretty great, isn't it? Being small is odd," said Anne. "It's kinda nice to look at the trees from this height, grasping all the little details, but it freaks me out too. The worlds' too big and scary like this."
"How is THIS any better?" Sprig stretched his arms until he nearly touched the ceiling. "Sure, the view is nice and all but being this tall is dangerous. Any predator could spot me from miles at a distance! And I can't hide in the high grass or under the bushes. If a snake sneaks up on me, I'm a goner."
"If a snake 'snakes' up to you, just step on them. But you won't have to. This is LA." Anne said as if it explained everything. "Trust me. The only snakes around wear suits and carry expensive briefcases. Step on those too."
Sprig scoffed. "Shouldn't be too difficult. Look at these rackets." Sprig lifted his feet. "Five fingers, Anne. Five. Those are three fingers too many. Who am I? The High Priest of Newtopia?"
Anne put her hands on her hips and glared at Sprig. The boy winced. Even though she barely reached his knee, she was still the older one.
"Got anything else to say about human bodies?" she dared him.
Sprig rubbed his arm. "The belly button is cute. You didn't tell me you could make it talk!"
Anne's blue hue turned light red. "Please, don't."
Sprig pulled his shirt up and squished his belly. "'Hey Anne!'" he said in a high-pitched voice. "I'm Sprig's belly. Nice to meet ya! You're such a cute lil' frog'"
She shouldn't have laughed the way she did, but there was something about mock-up voices that always cracked her up.
"You wanna talk cute?" she said defiantly. She lifted her fist and smacked her chest. SQUEAK! "What the heck is that? Where's the squeaking coming from?"
"Not a clue," Sprig confessed. "Hop Pop says it's a defense mechanism."
Anne nodded. "Make sense. If my dinner squeaked every time I took a bite of it, I wouldn't want to eat it anymore."
"It didn't stop Sasha from trying to hurt you," Sprig said and regretted it immediately.
Anne went somber, head dropping. "Nothing could've stopped Sasha."
Sprig blushed. Right now, he hated being this tall and heavy. If he were a frog, he could hop away out of this talk, in a true frog fashion.
"You did," he said, without thinking. "You bested Sasha. Two times, in fact."
Anne's lips lifted up and dropped again. That wasn't the compliment Sprig thought it was.
With nothing left to say, they went back to checking their reflections. They didn't feel less mystified now than before. For Anne, it was even stranger. Seeing her frog reflection in the human world? She'd thought it impossible, for some reason. It made sense now, but she couldn't tell why. Must be one of those 'cosmical awareness' moments; kind of like a spiritual revelation without any god involved.
"I think…" she began, trying to decipher what was on her mind. "I think the mirror must be the worst thing."
Sprig said nothing. Anne went on.
"Like… You transformed, you're different. Everything feels weird and new. And you figured out the mirror would be the same. Like a stranger looking at you from the other side. You thought about checking yourself, ready to freak out."
"But you didn't freak out." She paused. "There's no stranger there, no alien in the mirror. Just you. Your fingertips, your hair, and your eyes. Your mind and your heart. You look different but you're the same as before. And it blows your mind how something so strange could feel so natural. Like a change of clothes, instead of a full-body shift."
Anne's miniature hand touched the cold mirror. "At the same time, it sucks," she said, voicing her sadness. "It sucks because you realize you don't belong. Of course, this body is good for this world, but not your other body. And you can't walk with this body in the other world but you can with your other body. There's a part of you that won't fit in, no matter what. You're a stranger in your body, a stranger in the world. Any world. And you wonder if you'll ever be able to walk without having to hide half of yourself. After some point, you even start to question which body was your original one. Or if it even matters."
Nobody spoke for a while. The sound of laughter and movement came from downstairs. Anne dared to look up at Sprig. He was stiffer than a wooden plank; his expression was stuck in a painful wince.
"No," he said, without his characteristic peppiness. "No, I was actually thinking about shoes."
Anne looked down at Sprig's naked feet. "Shoes," she repeated.
"Yep. They're a big deal here, but I've never worn them." He paused and flapped his hand against his chest. "A-and I'm a bit scared I won't know how to walk with them. What if people think I'm weird? What if your parents think I'm a mess? I don't even own any shoes. I can't be human without them!"
Sprig let the air in. He said all that in one breath and in a strange monotone. Anne felt her heart drumming painfully.
Instinctively, she reached for Sprig's hands. The feeling was the same as when they usually held hands, but backward. It was right.
"We'll get you your own pair of shoes," Anne rubbed her finger over Sprig's hand. "They'll fit you well. Trust me."
Sprig gave her a weak smile, and all of Anne's worries melted away. Not long after, Hop Pop came in, carrying Polly.
She was protesting, as usual. "But I don't wanna go to bed! Some guys're beating each other dumb in a steel cage, and I just got to see it!"
Hop Pop put her down. "Now, now Polly. You heard the Boonchuys. No violent shows for any of you three." Hop Pop stretched until his back popped. He looked tired. "Besides, it's been a very long, very existentially challengin' day and I think we all could use the rest. You guys ready?" he said to Sprig and Anne.
A whirlwind filled the room, and when it dispersed, Anne was there in her human self.
"Yeah. Sleep sounds great."
Two hours later, Sprig was wide awake. He used to believe Anne was crazy; sleeping with an open window in Wartwood. Now he gets it. This body is a fricking oven. Not only did it receive heat; it emitted heat like a wildfire. There was also the weight issue. He'd felt it standing up, but he was heavier as a human than as a frog. Laying on the bed, he felt like a brick, like he could break the wooden floor and fall into the abyss any minute now.
Since he couldn't change back into his frog bod, Anne had set a mattress next to her own bed. Hop Pop had a makeshift bed made with one of Anne's drawers. Polly was sharing a bed with Anne's cat, Domino. The cat was soundly sleeping over the pollywog's body.
A few minutes after the two-hour mark, Anne spoke.
"Sprig, are you awake?"
"Nope. I'm actually sleeping and dreaming Ivy is a fire-breathing dragonfly," he joked. "Are you?"
"Yes," said Anne, dodging Sprig's attempt at humor. "Are you scared?"
It took Sprig a long minute to answer. "Not especially. Why?"
"I was really scared on my first night in Amphibia. And the first night I slept in my frog form."
That stuck with Sprig. Fear wasn't the right word. Awkwardness fitted better. He was heavier, taller, longer. Different. He was Sprig; human or frog, he was still him. Being himself shouldn't feel this wrong. Anne's earlier words came back to him, and he understood going back to being a frog wouldn't make things better. Nothing would be the same to him anymore, and he didn't know how he felt about that.
He gazed up at Anne's bed. He missed a breath.
"Anne, are you afraid?" he asked.
Anne spoke meekly. "No. Why do you ask?"
"Your hands are shaking."
From his position, Sprig could see Anne's hands shaking, then gripping the sheets with fury to stop the tremors. A few seconds later, the sobbing began.
Sprig couldn't get up and hug Anne. He couldn't tell her everything was gonna be alright and that they'll meet Marcy and Sasha and defeat Andrias and live happily ever after. He couldn't go back to that memory, to the castle. Back to the fighting, the blood, the wind cutting his face as he felt certain death… He wasn't strong enough.
Sprig gripped his own sheets. That's wrong. He's a human now. He was supposed to be stronger!
Making use of his new body, Sprig extended his long arm and caught Anne's hand with his. They fit well now. The girl gripped him back, her sobbing turning into a quiet moaning.
In the dark, Sprig scanned the room. He found Hop Pop and Polly's concerned gazes.
Nobody slept anything that first night.