MERLIN and MAX
Hummm hummm, the 3D printer moved back and forth. When it finished, Pete took the last plastic frog and placed it on the table in a line with the others.
That’s ten,” he said to his dog, Max. “We need eight for this weekend’s birthday party and two extras, just in case.”
Max woofed and sat down to admire the line of little green frogs. Some of them still smelled like warm plastic. Max often helped Pete at birthday parties and at Pete’s store where people bought things for parties and lots of other fun things. Parties were his favorites, though, and he especially liked to be part of the magic shows Pete did for the children.
“I’ll get the party favor bags and put a frog in each. Keep an eye on them for me. Okay, Max?”
Max wagged. Watching plastic frogs wasn’t very interesting, but he liked to help.
One, two, three. Max counted. All the same. Pete called it “identical”. Four, five… “Oh!” Max thought. “Wait a minute!” Frog four wasn’t identical. It was different. Max stood up and sniffed the fourth frog.
It didn’t smell different, but it was, somehow. He had to tell Max. “Woof! Woof woof!”
“What is it, boy?”
“Rooof!” Max sat and pointed at the forth frog with his nose. Now the frog was really, really different. It was glowing like a little green light bulb.
“Do you see that, Max?” Pete said. “Looks like magic, doesn’t it? Not like the magic tricks I do at parties. Real magic.”
Max just wagged his tail. He couldn’t stop watching the frog. The light wasn’t just green any more.
“Better watch from back here,” Pete said. “We don’t know what will happen.”
Max moved. The light became brighter and brighter until he had to close his eyes.
Then there was a huge flash and the light was gone.
“Hrmmm?” Max said.
“Wow!” Pete said. “Be careful, Max, we don’t want to scare him.”
Max sniffed as he walked back to the table. He couldn’t smell anything but plastic, but little green frog number four wasn’t like the others any more.
It was looking at him!
Max whined and put his nose on the table. The frog wiggled, but didn’t jump away.
“He’s cute, isn’t he Max?” Pete said. “Did you do that magic?”
Max looked up at Pete and blinked. He thought Pete had done the magic.
“Well,” Pete said, “however it happened, we have to take care of him. I wonder if he needs the same things as an ordinary frog. I’ll get a box and a dish of water. Keep an eye on him for me, okay?”
“Rowf.” Max wagged and put his paws on the table. He tried talking to the frog in his mind the way he would talk to another dog. “Hello, little frog, my name is Max. What’s your name?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think I have one. Is a name a good thing?”
“Yes, it is. Maybe Pete will think of one for you.”
“Is Pete a name?”
“Pete is my human’s name. He’s a human.”
“I’m confused.”
“Sorry, I forgot you’re only a few minutes old. It takes time to learn things. Pete went to find you a box and water.”
“What’s a box? What’s water?”
“Oh dear,” Max said. “You’ll find out in a minute, I can hear Pete coming.”
“Here we go, Max.” Pete set the box on its side on the floor. “I put a saucer of water inside.” He picked the little frog up and put it in the box. “What do you think, boy?”
“Woof!” Max put his nose on the cardboard. “This is a box,” he told the frog. Then he explained water and how frogs liked to swim.
“He seems to be alive, but nothing has moved much except his eyes,” Pete said. “Let’s give him some time. I’m going to get a cup of coffee.”
Max sat down and watched the box. “Why aren’t you moving?” he asked.
“Moving?”
Max shook his head. “You wiggled before, that’s a kind of moving. You move to go from one place to another. I’ll show you.”
Max walked back and forth in front of the box “That’s called walking,” he said. “I can go a lot faster, but not in the house.”
“You’re very good at walking.”
“Thank you. I couldn’t walk when I was first born, maybe you’re the same.”
“I’ll try it.”
Frog stretched out one front leg, then the other.
“That’s good.” Max said.
Frog wiggled a back leg. “That’s harder.”
“Keep trying.”
The other back wiggled. Suddenly, the frog was standing on all four legs.
“Hmmm,” Max said. “That doesn’t look quite right.”
“I’ll practice,” Frog said. “I want to walk as well as you do.”
Frog walked in front of the box just like Max had shown him. “How’s that?” he asked.
Max thought something still looked wrong but he didn.t want to make the frog feel bad. “How does it feel?” he asked.
“I feel like I’m always falling onto my nose.”
Pete came back with his coffee. “How’s our new friend doing?”
Max wished he could explain it all to Pete, but Pete seemed to understand. “Oh, oh,” he said. He’s trying to walk like you, isn’t he?”
“Woof!” Max said.
“Good boy!” Pete said. “Magic turned him into a real frog, but he doesn’t know anything about being a frog, does he?”
Max woofed again and spun in a circle.
“I have an idea,” Pete said. He went to his desk, tapped keys on his laptop and set it on the floor in front of the frog.
Max looked at the screen. There was a video of frogs hopping through grass and jumping into a pond. “Look,” he said to the frog, “That’s how frogs move and swim in water. I see them all the time when Pete and I go for walks.”
“They don’t walk like you,” Frog said.
“No,” Max said,” their legs are different.”
“I’ll try that,” Frog said. He bent his back legs and pushed. He popped into the air and landed PLOP.
“Good try,” Max said.
“You’ll get the idea,” Pete said. “I hope.”
The next morning, Max and Pete checked on the frog.
“What do you think, Max? Should we give the little guy a name?”
Max woofed and wagged.
“Ok. What would be good? Greenie? Hoppy?”
“Ruurrr,” Max said. He thought they sounded silly.
“Okay, then. He’s here because of magic. How about Merlin?”
“Ruurr?”
“Merlin was a very famous magician in very old stories.”
“Woof!” Max said, and told Frog about his important new name.
“Muurr-lin” Merlin said. “Muurr-lin, Muurr-lin.”
“Did he just say something, Max? It sounded like tiny croaks. Did you hear that?”
“Ruff!” Max jumped over the box three times.
“Whoa, boy!” Pete laughed. “Why so excited? What’s going on between you two?”
“Muurr-lin, MUURR-LIN, MUURR-LIN!” Merlin croaked louder and louder.
“That’s great! Pete said. “You’re starting to sound like a real frog. Ok, Max, I have to take the plastic frogs to the store. I’ll be back soon. Take care of Merlin, okay?”
When Pete was gone, Max and Merlin talked for a while, but Merlin seemed tired.
“What’s the matter, Merlin?” Max asked.
“I don’t know. My middle feels funny.”
“Your stomach?”
“Is that what it’s called? It feels – empty.”
“Oh!” Max said. “You’re hungry!”
“Hungry?”
“When you’re a real frog, you have to eat food. I’ll bring you some.” Max went to the kitchen and brought back his bowl, spilling kibble all the way. “Here,” he said after he set it down in front of Merlin. “Try this.”
“How?”
“Put your mouth in the bowl, pick up a piece, chew it a little, then swallow it. Then your stomach won’t feel empty anymore.”
“I don’t think I have teeth. Maybe little ones on top.”
“Oh,” Max said, “that might be a problem.”
When Pete got home, they were both still looking at the food bowl.
“Wow,” he said. “You are such a good friend, but frogs can’t eat dog food. Frogs eat flies and other insects and sometimes small fish. Let’s take Merlin to the pond and let him see what real – I mean ordinary, non-magical frogs – do.”
Max said “Woof!” and ran to pull his leash from its hook by the door.
Merlin sat on the bank of the pond, watching the frogs. Pete and Max stayed back so that the other frogs wouldn’t be frightened, but watched so that he would be safe.
“Hello!” Merlin called. “Hello, other frogs!”
“You sound odd,” one frog called back.
“You look – wrong,” another said. “I don’t think I want to talk to you.”
One frog came closer. “You smell funny,” he said. “A little like the bottles humans toss into the pond.”
“My name is Muurr-lin. I want to learn how to be a frog,” he called over and over, but the other frogs swam away.
“Aren’t you already a frog?” a voice behind him said.
Merlin turned. There was an animal there who looked a lot like a frog, but was brown and bumpy.
“I am now,” Merlin said, but I wasn’t before. I wasn’t real until magic happened. I don’t know how to do frog things. Are you a frog?”
“I’m a toad. I can do a lot of things frogs do, but I don’t spend much time in the water. Maybe I can help. I’ve never met a magic frog before. So, you were never a tadpole?”
“I don’t even know what a tadpole is.”
“Baby frogs and toads start off living in the water like fish, then they grow legs and turn into grown-ups.”
“That sounds like magic, too.”
The toad smiled. “I guess it is, in a way. So, what were you before you were a real frog?”
“I was a plastic frog. I don’t remember anything until there was a bright light. I look like a grown-up, but I don’t know anything.”
“That must be hard.”
Merlin pointed to Pete and Max. “My friends are trying to help; that’s why they brought me here, to learn from the frogs. I don’t even know how to eat.”
“Then let’s fix that first,” Toad said.
“That was a really nice toad,” Pete said when they were back home. “I could see him teaching you how to catch flies. I wonder if you’d like to go again tomorrow.”
“Woof!” Max said and did his happiest circle spin.
“Ruook!” Merlin said and did his best to hop in a circle just like Max.
Pete laughed. “Looks like everyone wants to go. Maybe the toad will be there again. The frogs weren’t much help, were they?”
“Muurr-lin,” Merlin said sadly. He couldn’t explain how sad the unfriendly frogs had made him feel.
“Maybe they’ll be nicer when you’ve been a real frog longer,” Pete said. “We’ll keep trying. Let’s put you in your box for a while. Max and I have to practice our magic act for the children’s party on Saturday.”
“Mrff!” Max said and trotted out of the room. He came right back with Pete’s magician hat in his mouth.
“I don’t know if we’ll use that this time,” Pete said. “These are young children. Pulling scarves of a hat might not be fun for them.”
Max shook his head and put the hat down in front of Merlin. “Can you jump in there?” he asked.
“I think so,” Merlin said. “I practiced hopping a lot today with Toad.” He sprang into the hat.
“Great!” Max said. “Now, when I tap the hat with my nose, jump out again. Okay?
“Okay.”
Max tapped and Merlin jumped.
“Wow!” Pete said. “You made up a trick! Could you do it again?”
Merlin jumped back into the hat and out again when Max tapped with his nose.
“Wow again!” Pete said. “We could use that in the act, but how do I know if Merlin would like to do that?”
Max explained everything to Merlin and Merlin jumped in and out of the hat to show that he thought it would be fun.
“Okay! Pete said. “Let’s practice!”
The next three days, Pete and Max worked in the store, took Merlin to the pond and practiced for the show.
Early Saturday morning, Merlin hopped out of his box and found Max curled up in his bed in Pete’s room. “Max,” he said, “Wake up.”
“Hmmm?” Max opened one eye.
“I feel funny.”
“Like when you were hungry?”
“No. I feel…” Merlin sighed. “I don’t know, something’s just different.”
“Are you okay? Can you still do the magic show for the party?”
“I think so. I really want to do our trick.”
“Me too,” Max said,” but if you feel sick, let me know and I’ll try to tell Pete.”
That afternoon, the children were excited about the magic show. Birthday presents had already been opened and a big cake with five candles was ready for later.
Pete wore a long cape and his tall magician’s hat. Max wore a short cape and Merlin, who was hiding under a shiny red box, was wearing a funny bow tie.
Pete did a lot of tricks with balloons and cards with animal pictures. The children laughed when Max walked on his back feet and barked five times when Pete asked him what important birthday the party was for.
Then, Pete pretended to be very serious. “Ladies and Gentlemen,” he said to the children. “For our last trick, I must ask you to be very quiet. This is very special magic.” He took the top hat from his head and held it so the children could see the shiny red cloth inside. “As you can see, this hat is empty, nothing inside at all. I’m going to need your help for this magic. I need you all to say: “Magic Hat, Magic Hat, Magic Hat. Can you do that?”
“Yes!” the children said.
Max sat up and barked. While the children were watching Max, Pete picked up a corner of the red box, and Merlin quickly hopped into the hat.
“Ok, Max,” Pete said. “Is it time for the children to help?”
“Woof!”
“Ready? Now!”
“Magic Hat! Magic Hat! Magic Hat!” the children said.
Max watched the hat. Pete was tapping it with the magic wand. Merlin was supposed to jump out.
Nothing happened!
Max was worried. What if Merlin was sick after all?”
Pete turned to the children. It looks like we need to be louder. Ready? Go!”
“MAGIC HAT! MAGIC HAT! MAGIC HAT!” the children shouted.
A beam of light shot out of the hat and Merlin floated up and stayed floating above the hat.
“Oooh…” the children said.
Max said “Woof?”
Pete didn’t say anything. He was so surprised he just pretended that a floating frog was a trick he did every day.
“Best trick ever!” one little boy shouted.
“Thank you,” Pete said, and bowed. “May I introduce Merlin, the most magical frog in the world.”
Merlin floated down to the table and hopped in a circle. Max spun in a circle too and the children cheered.
The parents who were watching the show from the back of the room took pictures with their phones.”
Later, at home, Pete finished putting away the things from the magic show and sat on the floor next to Max and Merlin. “I almost can’t believe what happened today, but if I can believe a plastic frog can magically become a real frog, I guess I can believe anything.”
“That’s good,” Merlin said.
“Wait a minute!” Pete said. “Did I just hear you thinking?”
Max barked. “Yes you did! Merlin fixed it so you can hear me too. He woke up this morning with a lot of magic power, but he didn’t know it until the magic show.”
“Wow!” Pete said and put his hands on his head. “I always wanted to know what you were thinking, Max, but I didn’t think it was possible.”
Max wagged. “It’s magic.”
“Now that you can hear me,” Merlin said, “can we go to the pond again tomorrow?”
The day at the pond was fun, but the other frogs ran away. Toad said it was because they were afraid of the strong magic, but it made Merlin sad.
“I’ll never be a really real frog,” he told Pete. “The other frogs don’t want me to live with them.”
“You can stay with us,” Max said.
“Of course you can,” Pete said, “but you need a better place to live than a box with a dish of water. I can make a little pond in the yard for you.”
“I’ll help you dig!” Max said.
Pete laughed. “I know you love to do that!”
“There,” Pete said as he finished filling the little pond with a garden hose. “Just one more thing.”
He unwrapped a package and took out a painted sign. It said: Merlin, the most magical frog in the world.
“I like that,” Merlin said.
“But you seem a little sad,” Pete said.
“What if I’m the only magical frog in the world?”
“That would be lonely, wouldn’t it?” Pete said.
Max whined. “Really lonely. Can you do anything, Pete?”
“I don’t know,” Pete said. “I can’t promise, because I don’t know how the Merlin magic happened, but I can keep making 3D printed frogs and maybe it will happen again, especially if Merlin will help. What do you think, Merlin? Want to try?”
Merlin jumped high and landed with a splash in his little pond.
Pete laughed and hugged Max. “I think that was a ‘yes’.”
This story was inspired by the 3D frog I gave Barb as a gift.