The Princess Who Loved a Frog

         There was once a king who lived in the midst of a great forest with his beautiful daughters.  All were so fair that men travelled from far and wide just to gaze upon their lovely faces, but the youngest princess was the loveliest of all. Even so, while her sisters preened and mooned over their many suitors, the youngest princess had no interest in them. She preferred instead to spend her time by an old stone well that lay beneath an old apple tree deep in the woods. There were many frogs there, leaping and kicking in the clear water of the well. She grew accustomed to talking to them, then reaching down to stroke their smooth backs. She listened to their throaty croaks until she was able to understand their language and speak it back to them. She grew so enamored with her frogs – for she had begun to think of them as her frogs – that she wore deep green dresses to match the color of their slick skin and spent every day immersed in their (decidedly insect-heavy) conversations.

         One day the king summoned her to his royal chamber. “Dearest daughter,” he asked. “I must know why you spend your days by that crumbling well in the forest. Are you not happy with your suitors?”

         The princess was, in fact, very unhappy with her suitors. It wasn’t that there was anything entirely wrong with the lot of them, just that she was terrified of all men apart from her father. Their brawny muscles seemed heavy and dangerous, so different from her lithe little frame. They stank of sweat and leather. She much preferred the company of her frogs, but somehow she didn’t think her father would be very pleased with a handful of frog suitors.

The princess was clever and quick of tongue, so she soon came up with a response to placate the king. “Dearest father,” she responded. “I do so adore that golden ball you gave me for my last birthday. I adore it so much that I spend my days by the well so that I can see its glittering reflection in the water as I toss it between my hands.”

The king nodded gruffly, his chest puffing up with pride. He did want his daughter to find a husband, but he doted upon her and was positively delighted that she loved his gift to such an extent. Their conversation over, the princess went back to her well and the king went back to the task of ruling his kingdom.
There was one frog in particular that the princess spent the most time talking to. His name was Slim, and he had three black spots upon his back. The two discussed all kinds of things – flies, mosquitoes, the pressure the princess felt to spend time with her suitors – until the day Slim realized he had fallen completely in love with her. On that day, after talking with the princess for hours, the little frog fell silent. He looked up at the princess, but he didn’t try to sit on her lap as he often did, and he didn’t bother catching the flies that were in his reach. The princess noticed his unusual behavior.

“Dearest Slim, what’s wrong?”

“Oh princess,” sighed the frog. “It’s no use. You will never love me as I love you. You will never be my bride.”

The princess scooped Slim into her palm and gazed at him adoringly. “You really love me?” she smiled.
“With all my heart.”

“Then do as I say,” grinned the clever princess, “and we may be together always.”

Slim watched as she spun her golden ball on the tips of her fingers. Then suddenly it slid from her hand and plopped into the well.

“Dearest Slim,” she said. “Dive down to the bottom of the well and fetch my ball. Then we may be together always.”

The little frog dove down to the depths of the well and collected the ball.

“Very good,” said the princess, holding the dripping wet ball beneath her arm. “Now I shall storm off into the palace. Follow several paces behind. Then we may be together always.”

The princess stormed off, good as her word, and Slim hopped along behind her. She burst into the king’s chamber, still clutching her golden ball, and pretended to cry.

“Dearest father,” she sobbed, “You will not believe what just happened to me!”

“What is it, daughter?” he responded.

“I was playing by the well as I always do, when all of the sudden my golden ball fell into the water. I could not reach it in time, so it sunk to the bottom. A little frog offered to fetch it for me under the condition that he could sit on my shoulder, eat from my plate, and sleep in my bed. And you know how I love my golden ball! I agreed, and he fetched me my ball.”

The king nodded, then peered at her shoulder. “And why is the slimy fellow absent from your shoulder then?” he asked.

The princess shuddered. “A frog with me at all times? I’ll never impress my suitors like that! And besides, he’s wet. And ugly. I left him by the well and took my ball back to the castle.” She pointed to the doorway of the chamber, where Slim now sat. “And look! The nasty thing followed me here!”

The king frowned. “Dearest daughter,” he began, “I don’t like frogs any more than you do. But no daughter of mine will go back on her word! Now, pick that frog up at once. He has earned the right to sit on your shoulder.”
“It’s not fair!” cried the princess, picking Slim up gingerly and placing him on his new perch. She stomped down the hallway, careful not to disturb her new passenger. When she was out of the king’s earshot, she smiled and stroked her frog. “See?” she said. “Now we may be together always. The king has commanded it.”
All would have been well had the story ended there. Slim and the princess spent the whole day chatting blissfully. They supped from the same plate at dinnertime, took sips from the same water glass. The princess’ suitors drew back from her when they spied the frog dripping water on her gown (he took constant baths to keep his skin moist), and so she no longer had to stammer through terrifying conversations with them. At bedtime, Slim curled up beside the princess on her pillow and sighed contentedly.

“Dearest princess,” he said. “This has been the best day of my life. And now, to spend the night here beside you…” he trailed off happily.

“Oh Slim!” cried the princess. “I feel just the same!” She turned her head to the side and pressed a tender kiss right on his damp back.

That kiss was their undoing. There was a loud popping noise and a cloud of green smoke. The princess covered her eyes, coughing, as something heavy and large tumbled on top of her. Then, when the smoke cleared, she screamed again and again. There was a man in bed with her! Her old nursemaid had warned her this might happen someday! She searched frantically for her dear little frog, but she couldn’t find him anywhere. Finally she turned to the man, trembling.

“Who are you!” she demanded.

“It’s me!” he murmured shyly. “Slim! You have broken the curse placed upon me many years ago, and now I can once again live in a man’s body.”

The princess felt sick to her stomach. She did not want a big, scary man. She wanted a slimy green frog to perch on her shoulder. “Get out!” she shrieked. “You can come back if you ever figure out how to turn back into a frog!”

Slim stumbled from the room, heartbroken, and went off into the world in search of a sorceress who could change him back into the only form the princess could love. The princess went out to the fountain and chatted up one of the other frogs. He eventually came to live with her, but she was careful never to let her lips touch his skin. Neither lived very happily ever after.