author: Lucinda

rating: pg

main character: Willow

disclaimer: I hold no legal rights to Willow (property of Joss Whedon & the Buffy the Vampire Slayer writing staff) or to the Frog (whom you should be able to recognize).

distribution: Twisting, Wic, WLS, NHA, Paula, anyone else ask first.

note: this is set about ten years before the series begins.

The Pond
by Lucinda

Willow shivered, looking around at the little valley. There was a small pond, and a larger marshy area around it, the air thick with humidity and buzzing with hundreds - thousands of bugs. She was only here because Jesse's dad had invited her and Xander to go camping with them. The place seemed creepy, especially as the sun slowly sank, making the surrounding trees loom dark and scary above. The shadows were thick, and she almost felt like they were moving.

There was something in the water, making it ripple. She could see the darker spot, the shadow of the what-ever-it-was under the water. It moved to a fallen log, and heaved itself out of the water onto the mossy perch.

Her eyes grew large and her breathing was fast and shallow as she stared in horror at the thing. Water glistened on green skin, over huge eyes. Long, thin arms and legs sprawled casually over the log, with webbed toes splayed out. The mouth was wide, crossing almost the whole of the head, and looking capable of swallowing huge things. It had to be almost as large as she was.

The terrible thing turned, facing her, and it's mouth opened. "Hey there."

With a petrified squeak, Willow turned and bolted back towards the camp. Here was the largest, most terrible frog of them all. And he could talk.

Sitting on the log in the middle of the pond, the large frog looked at the place where the girl had been. "Was it something I said?"

end the Pond.