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The Strange Striped Frogs of Franklin Creek

Suspects: Old Mr. Jones, Wanda, Delinda, Matt

Funny how time flies. Why it seems like only yesterday that my adventure began. I had planned to walk along the creek that ran by my grandfather's land. Since it was late spring, I could throw rocks at the frogs. I knew there would be enough frogs to last for a week of rock throwing.

It was important to keep an eye out. Old Mr. Jones was a cranky neighbor. He didn't even like it when he saw me playing on my grandfather's side of the creek. When the frogs started to jump, he would yell out, "Leave my frogs alone!"

They were funny looking frogs. At least, some of the frogs looked funny. No one could ever figure out how they got those yellow and blue stripes. Delinda, my grandfather's maid, always said that I should never touch those frogs because they were not earthly frogs. She always got an evil and mean look in her eyes when she spoke about the frogs.

I had told Matt, the neighbor about my plans. He shook his head and told me I'd better not. There were strange things happening down by the creek. It might not be safe to go there. I told him that I wasn't afraid of old Mr. Jones or his frogs. That's when he let me know about Wanda.

Matt said that she lived in a shack next door to Mr. Jones. He thought that Wanda might have come from somewhere else. She never seemed to get older, but didn't look just like everyone else. Her eyes were a little wide apart, and her ears were a bit pointed. Wanda's arms and legs seemed too long and spindly for her body.

Everyone was warning me to keep away from that creek. If someone wasn't from here, did it mean that they were from another town or another world? Delinda did have that evil-looking face. Matt seemed awfully intent on keeping me from the creek. I had never seen Wanda. So, who or what was she?

It was odd how quickly Mr. Jones would appear after the first frog jumped. I wondered if he might have little cameras or radios so that he could watch or listen for anyone bothering the creek. Grandpa said that he just was a lonely old man with too much time on his hands. Still those funny looking frogs made me wonder. Maybe none of these people were from here, and they were just working together to hide their secret from me.

I decided not to throw rocks at the frogs. I found the narrow part of the creek and jumped across. There were plenty of trees. I hid from tree to tree. It was less than a half a mile from the creek to Mr. Jones' house.

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