ASHBURY PARK PRESS (Neptune, New Jersey) 23 October 13 Frog attack no treat for visiting aunt
Frogs. They are cute little amphibians that like to swim in my pool. They do not have a problem with me nor do I have a problem with them. In fact, I enjoy their presence. They let me know my pool is doing something to help the ecosystem, not just poisoning it with all the chlorine that leaks out. However, one of the regulars did not like my aunt who was visiting from Buffalo, N.Y.
The day was Saturday, the tenth of August around 9 p.m. My Aunt Lori and Uncle Eric were visiting from Buffalo. It was their first time seeing my house and I was giving them a tour. When we got around to the pool area, I told them about our amphibian friends. I then went searching for a frog to show my aunt, since there are no frogs in Buffalo. I found one in the skimmer.
“Aunt Lori, just learn over and put your head in front of the skimmer to see the frog, like what I’m doing,” I said encouragingly. The frog did not bat an eye when I put my head a few inches away from it, but when Aunt Lori did, it jumped right at her. In less than a second, a frog caused a grown woman to fall into my pool.
Not only that, but after she got out, she went into the fetal position and started repeating over and over, “Oh my God, Oh my God,” for around 15 seconds. I will still never know why it attacked Aunt Lori and not me, but I can take a guess: It somehow remembered me, almost like a dog remembers its owner and knew I was a friend. When Aunt Lori came along, the frog thought she was an enemy and had to get out of the skimmer as quickly as possible, whatever way necessary.
The “frog incident,” as I now call it, will be the only thing I remember from this summer break and it will be a story to tell for ages to come. It also taught me something: Frogs can cause massive chaos around a quiet poolside setting.
Daniel Diament
Ocean Township Intermediate School
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