Chapter 17: Part 1: Chapter 17: The Legend of the Moss Man

After Anne asked Frank about his arrest and his time in juvy, the tension between the two increased. More so than it had in the past. Frank became quieter, and as Anne observed him, it was clear that his past was bothering him. More so than she ever thought it was. However, what bothered her the most was his comment.

He went to jail, but didn't steal the shoes? Anne didn't know what that meant, and Frank didn't want to talk about it. Now Anne isn't the smartest girl in the world, but thanks to her watching cheesy cop shows, her mind started conjuring some ideas. And none of them were good.

But for now, all she could do was look at the back of her friend as they walked through the woods. Frank had made a leather strap that went across his chest from his right shoulder to his left hip. On the back was a horse-shaped hook that fit the handle of his new scythe. Now he was able to carry it on himself without having to hold it.

The two humans were with Hop Pop and his grandkids. Anne and the old frog were carrying baskets on their backs while Sprig and Frank were carrying their own. Hop Pop's basket was full of berries that were green and red, with Polly resting on it as she rode.

"Now remember, green and red, be well fed," Hop Pop said, picking a berry with that type of coloring from a bush. He then gestured to a bush with blue and red coloring. "Blue and red, instantly dead."

Having already picked a lot of the green and red berries, Sprig shoved them into his mouth.

"Oh, wait. Or was that, 'Green and red, instantly dead'?"

Sprig instantly opened his mouth, rolled out his tongue with the berries on it, and pushed it off. He then followed his grandpa, tongue still hanging out.

Behind them, Frank and Anne looked around the area together. Frank, looking like he was in a bad mood, scanned the barrier bushes and started picking some. Anne was not too far away, looking at the ground, and picking mushrooms.

"Yup, that's a mushroom," she said, before looking back at Frank. Deciding to try again to see what she could learn, she cleared her throat. "You know, there's this old Thai saying that grandma loves to say to me. 'Bāp kèā thxd ngeā yāw'. It means 'Old sins cast long shadows', but I never knew what that meant."

"It means your past can ruin your future if you allow it," Frank told her, not taking his eyes off his work. "But you forget Franky boy's old saying: I don't want to talk about my past."

"Okay," Anne said, sighing sadly. She turned back to continue picking mushrooms when a twig snapped a few feet in front of her. Anne looked up, and caught a glimpse of a large figure rushing through the woods. This startled Anne, who gasped in surprise. "Did you guys see that?" She asked, turning back to the others.

"See what?" Frank asked as he plucked purple and green berries. Hop Pop and the others walked further away.

"There was something in the woods," she told him, standing and pointing in the direction she saw the figure. Frank stood up and looked in the direction she was pointing, but saw nothing.

"I don't see anything," Frank said, before returning to his berry picking task.

Frowning, Anne turned back to where she saw the figure. Once again, there was nothing to see. For a moment, she wondered if her head was playing tricks on her or if Hop Pop had put something in her food.

However, something else rushed past in the woods to her left. And this time, Anne gasped when she heard it making a growling sound.

"What the heck?" She asked, equipping her bow and pulling out an arrow. With weapons in hand, Anne walked into the bushes to see what the creature was.

Coming out on the other side of the bushes, Anne saw herself standing in front of a small slope that was only a few feet high off the ground. Down below were more bushes. Placing the bow back around her torso, Anne tried to slide down the slope carefully. However, it was too steep for her, and she yelled upon tripping and falling down. Groaning in pain, she got on her hands and knees before crawling forward. She pushed the tall grass in front of her away, and what she saw made her gasp in astonishment, and her eyes widened.

Walking across a clearing with rays of sunlight shining down from the tree top was a considerably large humanoid creature that reminded Anne of Bigfoot. However, unlike the mythical American cryptid, this creature's body was completely covered in a green moss that flowed like hair. It had big glowing eyes and sprouted from both sides of its head like a pair of antlers were tree branches. On the branches and on its body were small white flowers that attracted butterflies to it.

The creature let out a low growling from its throat as it sniffed the air around it. Peacefully walking around.

Anne's eyes twinkled as she stared at the creature in wonder. "Whoa."

"Anne!" All of a sudden, Frank called out to her, startling Anne.

The creature looked in her direction with a soft growl, before running off into the woods. "No, wait. Come back!" Anne exclaimed, standing up and attempting to run after it. However, it was too late. The beast disappeared into the forest. Distraught that she wasn't able to stop it, Anne stood in the clearing and lowered her hand down. "You're…so cool."

"Anne!" Rushing out of the grass with the Plantars following behind, Frank walked over to his best friend. "There you are."

"Dude, you just scared it away," Anne said, turning to him with big wide eyes while throwing her arms up.

"Scared what off?" Frank asked as the others were just as confused. "Were you hunting for something?"

"No, no, no, no," Anne quickly said, waving her hands. "There was this magical creature made of moss. It was beautiful."

Frank looked at her with a raised eyebrow. He looked behind her but saw nothing. Sprig, Hop Pop, and Polly, on the other hand, all started laughing at Anne together. "Good one, Anne. Saw the ol' "Moss Man," huh?" Sprig asked jokingly, snapping his fingers.

"Yeah, that sounds about right," Anne said.

"So, where is this Moss man?" Frank asked, crossing his arms.

"Nowhere, Frank, because the Moss Man's a myth," Hop Pop told the young teenager, waving his hand in a dismissive gesture at Anne. "Only crazy people and gullible tadpoles believe in it."

Frank and Anne both looked at Hop Pop with strange looks. Almost as if the old frog grew two heads. "So let me get this straight: you're telling me you guys have giant fire-breathing beavers, mutant centipedes, and blood-sucking bats, but you don't believe in a man-made of moss?" The boy asked, not fully believing what Hop Pop was telling him.

"Well, yeah, we've seen those," Sprig said dismissively as he held Polly's bucket with her in it. "Look, your world might have stuff like flying machines and magic memory boxes. But we don't have weird stuff like that here. This is just a normal town." He ended that sentence with him and his family leaning in together and giving the humans big adorable eyes.

Anne was having none of it. "You're talking freakin' frogs!" She yelled at them. Anne then turned to Frank, hoping her friend would back her up. "Frank, you believe me, right? You had to have seen it."

"I don't know what you're talking about, man," Frank said. "I didn't see anything."

"What?!" Anne yelled, almost screaming at him. "You're taller than them! How could you not have seen it?"

"Dude, chill. Whatever it was, it's gone now," Frank said, trying to get her to calm down.

Anne glared at him, wanting to be angry. However, she knew that wouldn't do her any good. So, she put her hands together and took as deep of a breath as she could. "Alright, fine. I'm done talking about it," she told her friends.

"I am not done talking about it!" Anne yelled at the others, making them groan in annoyance. For the past few hours, Anne had tried to get the Plantars to talk about the Moss Man. She wanted to know what it was, where it lived, did it talk, and if it even knew how to play Janga for some reason. Every time she would, they would remind her that she was done talking about it. Anne would groan, wait a few minutes, and then ask something Moss Man related again.

Now, she was fed up and wanted to talk about what she saw in the forest. "Still?" Polly asked as the five of them walked back to Bessie with all their berries and groceries.

Frank sighed and pulled out his phone. "Hang on, I've got something that'll get your mind off it," he said, pulling up YouTube. He did a quick type in the search bar, and then clicked on the video. He then moved to stand next to Anne and pressed play.

The video showed an ostrich playing baseball while an old man watched it. "Don't get too close now, Pa!" A woman in the video said, off-screen. The ostrich swung the bat and hit a baseball off the tee. Then it threw the bat away and kicked the old man in the balls! The old man yelled in pain and fell to the ground as the bird raised its wings.

Frank and Anne laughed together at the video. "Hehehehehe, he got kicked in the balls," Anne chuckled. But when she realized what Frank was doing, she quickly smacked the phone out of his hands. "No distractions!"

"Dude! What's wrong with you?" Frank said in anger, picking up his phone.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?! I'm tellin' you guys, I saw it, I saw it, I saw it!" She chanted while stomping her feet on the ground.

"Careful, Anne," Hop Pop said, chuckling as he placed the bread in the saddle's basket. "You keep rantin' and ravin', you'll put One-Eyed Wally out of a job."

"Ha! She totally does sound like Wally," Sprig said, pointing his finger at Anne while holding two bags of berries.

Offended, Anne gasped at the audacity of the frog's claim. "You take that back," she said, turning around and crossing her arms."I am not a weirdo like Wally. I'm a strong, sane woman who saw the Moss Man!"

"Soooooooo!" sang One-Eyed Wally as he tippy-toed over to Anne while playing his accordion. "You've seen the Moss Man too, eh?" He asked her before giggling and twirling away like a ballerina.

"Wait, you actually saw that thing?" Frank asked the local kook.

Wally did a pose before throwing his instrument away. "I saw it once, deep in the moors where it makes its home and feeds on mist. Skin of moss, it had," he told the teenagers, before rushing over and holding his hands in front of Anne and Frank. "Took me hand clean off, it did!"

"You have both your hands, Wally," Anne said, pushing him away.

Wally landed on his butt and looked at his left hand. He gasped when he saw it was still there. "Lefty! When did you get back?"

Frank and the Plantars giggled at Wally's antics before Anne pointed at them and said, "Stop it. I know it sounds crazy when he says it. But I saw what I saw."

"Whatever you say…" Polly began, before snickering. "One-Shoed Anne."

"Huh?" Sprig asked, not getting it at first. But then he got it and chuckled. "Oh, I get it. Like One-Eyed Wally. Sharp as ever, sis." The siblings then high-fived.

Hop Pop laughed at the thought of Anne being like Wally. "You might as well start learnin' the accordion. And sleepin' under bridges," he said, unable to stop himself from laughing hysterically. This would cause his grandkids to start laughing out loud together at the expense of Anne, who crossed her arms and frowned unconformably.

"Wouldn't want to be that guy," said Wally before walking off. Seemingly not realizing that they were making fun of him.

Frank looked at Anne and saw how miserable she looked as they laughed at her. Feeling sorry for her, he turned to the Plantars. "Alright, that's enough! Let's get back to the house," he told the frogs. They turned and walked away, leaving the two teenagers alone. Frank turned back to Anne and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Look, don't worry about what they say, okay?"

"But how? They don't even believe me!" Anne exclaimed, throwing her arms up. She then looked at her friend with a hopeful smile. "Do you believe me?"

Frank looked at Anne uncomfortably in silence and then pointed a finger up. "I'm not legally required to answer these questions," he said quickly.

Anne lost it and yelled in fury. "RRAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Later that night, Anne wasn't able to sleep very well. She tossed and turned in her bed as she had a dream. A dream where no one still believed her and continued to call her the 'new Wally'. As she lay on her back while her forehead sweated, she could hear the voice of her friends teasing her.

"She does sound like Wally," Sprig repeated in the dream, as an accordion floated over her head. Playing rapidly.

"'Rantin' and ravin','" Hop Pop repeated in the dream before she saw him and the youngs laughing and pointing at her

"One-Shoed Anne. One-Shoed Anne." That's what they were all calling her.

And then the dream turned into a nightmare, when who she thought was Wally floated towards her. But then the person turned around, and to Anne's horror, Wally's head wasn't on his body. It was hers, laughing maniacally. This twisted version of her grabbed onto Anne's neck and started coughing her.

"Welcome to your future."

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Anne yelled as she sat up.

"AH! What?! What?! What's going on?!" Frank yelled, sitting upright and looking around with a panicked expression. He then turned to see Anne panting in her bed, looking like she'd just had a panic attack. "Anne, what happened? Are you okay?"

"I know what I have to do," she said. Anne quickly jumped out of bed and grabbed her backpack.

"Wait, what are you—Whoa!" Frank quickly turned around when she started taking off her shirt. Normal Anne would ask Frank to leave the room before changing into her clothes, so her striping down caught him completely off guard. "Anne, what are you doing!?"

"I'm going to find Wally and find that Mose Man!" Anne declaimed, putting on her school uniform shirt and skirt. Trying to ignore the fact that she'd basically stripped in front of Frank. "Don't try and stop me, Frank."

"Wha…Anne, you're crazy. You just saw something in the woods," Frank said, standing up with his arms spread out.

"No, Frank. I didn't, and I'm going to prove that it's real," Anne said, pointing at him before reaching for her backpack. However, Frank grabbed the hand of it and yanked it away from his friend quickly.

"Anne, just stop and think for a moment," he said, holding the backpack in one hand. "You're really going to go on a wild goose chase just to find a creature that you think you saw?"

Anne glared at him before glancing at her backpack. She dove toward it in an attempt to grab it, but Frank stepped out of the way of her. "Alright, fine. I don't need my backpack," she said, grabbing her bow and arrow quiver. She turned to walk out of the basement, but Frank grabbed her arm.

"Anne, this is idiotic. You could get yourself killed going out there alone," Frank told her, trying to get her to see reason.

"Then that's how I die!" Anne snapped, yanking her arm away from him.

Frank, not believing what he was hearing, quickly got in front of her. Blocking her way to the steps. "Okay, seriously. What the hell has gotten into you?"

"Nothing got into me, you asshole!" She yelled at him. Glaring at him with frustration. "Why would I even talk to you about my problems if you wouldn't even talk to me about yours?"

"It's different, Anne," Frank said, glaring at her in return.

Scoffing, Anne turned and paced around while ranting. "Yeah, I know, you were sent to jail for stealing shoes. I'm just trying to prove that I'm not crazy. That's so less important to you, but this is important to me!" She exclaimed at him, pointing at herself with her thumb. "How would you feel if people didn't believe you and it ruined your life?"

That comment made Frank's eyes widen and gasp lightly as he looked at her in shock. Anne glared at him before snatching her backpack from his hand and pushing past him. She was just about to open the door to the basement when Frank stopped her.

"Fine."

"What?" Anne looked back and saw him slipping on his torn pants.

"You want to find that Moss Man, then we're going to do it together," Frank said, slipping on his green jacket.

"I thought you said you didn't believe me," Anne said, raising an eyebrow.

"I didn't say that," Frank said, grabbing his scythe and belt and placing them on. He then grabbed his blue hat and put it on. "But if you're truly sure that you saw the Moss Man."

"Which I totally did!"

"Then I'm going with you to find it again," Frank said, walking up to her as she crossed her arms. "But we can't just go running off into the woods looking for this world's version of Bigfoot. We need an expert."

"Really? Like who?" asked Anne. Frank raised an eyebrow at her with an 'are you serious' expression. That's when Anne realized who he was talking about. "Oh…."

Just as he usually did after everyone went to sleep, Wally walked around town, playing his accordion. It was almost like a tradition for the frog, which annoyed a lot of people who were trying to sleep.

"I lost me true love By the old willow tree," he sang joyously to himself. However, he was suddenly grabbed by two hooded figures. They turned him around, and he screamed when seeing their glowing eyes under the hoods. "The Demons of Hell! You've come for me at last!" He yelled, bracing himself for their retribution.

"What? No, Wally, it's me. Anne and Frank," said Anne as she and her best friend pulled off their hoods. Anne was wearing a dark gray hoodie, while Frank was wearing a fur poncho he made from the fur of the elephant beetle they both killed a while back. Unlike Anne. he didn't have any winter clothing when he came to Amphibia, so he had to make his own.

Seeing it was just the two humans, Wally sighed and chuckled in relief. His soul was still safe. "So it is. Whoo! Deja vu. You jumped me before?" He asked, pointing at them. Frank slapped his hand away.

"Listen, we need your help. You said that you know where the Moss Man lives, right?" Frank questioned the local kook.

"I did?" Wally asked, wondering if he did.

"Yes, you did!" Anne insisted. "Take me there so I can snap a pic of it, prove I'm normal, and never be associated with you ever again." Frank looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "No offense."

Normally, a normal person would ask what was wrong with them. A normal person. But not Wally. "Okay," he said with a smile.

"Please," Anne begged, dropping down on her knees and bending down on her elbows and face. "I just got people to stop calling me the town monster. I can't become the town weirdo!"

"Anne, he said okay," Frank said, frowning slightly.

Anne sat back up. "Oh. Thanks."

Wally suddenly got in their faces. "But be warned! The journey will be fraught with peril!" He warned the two humans with a serious tone in his voice. However, he then started playing his accordion. " Oh, the Misty Moors Are dark and gray... " He walked off, with Frank and Anne getting up and following him.

"Hope he doesn't play that thing the whole way," Anne said, chuckling.

8 hours.

For 8 hours, Wally played his accordion nonstop. And Frank and Anne had to listen to him for the entire time. As they crossed through the forest and made their way across the mountains that bordered the town and the Misty Moors.

"Having fun yet, Anne?" Frank asked.

"Shut up, Frank," Anne said, as they both hugged the rocky walls. They continued to follow Wally as he led them down a narrow path that was on the side of a large mountain. It was only so wide that they had to walk sideways and press their backs against the wall. Wally was still playing his accordion, but now he was telling them the tragic story of how he got the instrument. All while the wind whistled around them.

"...and with his dying words he told me, 'Wallace, take this accordion, find my killer and defeat him with the power of song.'" He ended the story, bringing it to its somber conclusion. He then did a complete 180 and put away his accordion. "Anyway, enough about me. Tell me about yourself."

"Hard pass. That's kind of personal, and you're kinda basically an unstable stranger," Anne told him.

"Welcome to my life," Frank grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Anne asked, getting offended.

"Didn't you find it a little hypocritical that you would be offended by Wally asking about your life, despite asking me about my imprisonment, which is a very personal thing, might I add," Frank argued with her.

"Huh, he's got a good point," Wally said.

"Stay out of this!" Anne snapped at him. She then turned back to Frank in anger. "Well, excuse me for being curious. We're partners and best friends, Frank. Best friends share things with each other. If you just tell me what happened, maybe I'll be able to help."

"Help?! How can you help me?" Frank said loudly, glaring at her.

"Well, I don't know, Frank! I can't do it unless you tell me what really happened!" Anne shouted at him.

At that point, Frank had finally had it. "Fine, you want to help?" He asked, moving towards Anne while glaring into her eyes. "Tell me, how can you help someone that was locked up, had everyone turn their backs on him, had 10 months of his life taken away from him, all because he was blamed for a crime he NEVER DID?!" Frank shouted that last part at her.

Anne stared at him with wide eyes, shocked by his outburst, and what he revealed to her. Even Wally, who leaned over to look past Anne so he could stare at Frank in surprise with a gasping expression. "A plot twist!"

"Yeah, so, now you see why I don't want to…" Frank wasn't able to finish his sentence when his mud-covered foot stepped close to Anne. However, that particular area was unstable and gave way. "Wahh!"

Anne gasped when Frank fell off the edge of the past. She quickly dropped down on her stomach and reached down. Just as Frank was about to fall too far, she grabbed his hand, and the two held onto each other for dear life. The two of them groaned from the strain. Frank groaned as he looked fearfully up at Anne, trying to hold on as best he could. However, Anne was losing her grip on him. She tried to pull him up, but failed.

Frank slipped out of her hands a second later.

"NOO!" Anne screamed in horror as Frank fell down towards the mist-covered ground. However, he was saved at the last moment, when something slimy wrapped around his waist. Stopping his fall.

It was Wally's tongue!

"I got you!" He said, even though he had his tongue out. Anne quickly rushed over and grabbed his tongue. Ignoring how gross and slimy it fit, she helped Wally pull Frank back onto the path.

The moment Frank was back on the ledge, Wally retracted his tongue from around him. The hat-wearing boy gasped and panted, beyond relief to still be alive. Anne, the moment he was safe, jumped onto Frank and hugged him tightly. "Oh, thank God," she said.

Frank hugged her back, happy to be safe. When he and Anne pulled away, both of them blushing, he then looked at Wally, and said with surprise, "Wally, you saved my life."

"Don't mention it, kid. I know how much you two mean to each other," Wally said, winking his one good eye at them. But all it looked like he was doing was blinking at them. Frank and Anne looked at one around, before looking away with blushes. Smiling to themselves. However, the smiles turned into sad frowns, as the two kids felt a sense of shame in their hearts. "Now, let's hurry up and get that photo!"

The frog hopped over them and continued on his way. Frank and Anne stood up and followed. This time, Anne was behind Frank. She stared at her friend as he kept moving forward, still unable to believe what she'd just heard.

"Frank…"

"We'll talk about it later, okay Anne?" Frank told her. Anne sighed and nodded.

The three of them travel the entire day through the mountains before deciding to settle down for the night. They came across the ruins of some kind of building in the middle of an empty plain. It was hard to tell what it used to be, as there was hardly anything left of it. There were a few broken pillars, a torn-down wall, and a bell that was sticking out of the ground.

They set up camp at the ruins, started a fire to keep themselves warm and cooked their food. Then Anne asked Frank for a fun little challenge.

"You ready, dude?" She asked, looking at him with a challenging look.

"Oh, I'm ready," he said, smirking at him.

"You sure? It's been a while. Are you sure you're not rusty?" Anne asked him playfully.

"Well, it's time to find out," Frank said, getting his hand ready. Anne grinned and did the same. Together, they did their old friendship's choreographed hand slapping.

"Clap, pull it back, fist bump, flip it up, lock it in, twist it, twainst it, not against it, spank the baby, where's the baby? There's the baby. Shake hands with the baby." They said in perfect sync, before slapping both their hands against each other and throwing their arms into the air. "FRANNE AGAINST THE WORLD!"

They glance at one another before bursting out in laughter. The feeling of doing their handshake again after so many years was incredible. Wally was sitting near them, watching while eating his soup. "Wow, that was incredible. I don't think I'll be able to look at a normal handshake again," he said with a big smile.

Frank and Anne sat down around the fire with Wally and grabbed their bowls of soup. "Thanks. I used to do that stuff back home, but I stopped doing it," Anne said with a sad look on her face.

"Really? But they're great," Frank stated, unable to understand how they could. Okay, Sasha was a bitch, so that was understandable. But Marcy? Nerdy Marcy doesn't like Anne's handshakes? "You and I used to do that handshake all the time back home."

"Yeah, but Sasha and Marcy used to think my elaborate handshakes were silly," Anne said, swirling her spoon around in the coconut bowl. "So, I just stopped doing it.

"Oh, there's your first mistake, love," Wally said, pointing his wooden spoon at her. "I never care what other people think of me."

To this, Anne scoffed at how little Wally understood how things at home worked. "Easy for you to say. Back home, your reputation is everything," Anne emphasized.

"Lucky for you, you're both not back home."

"Huh?" This confused not just Anne, but Frank as well.

"Anne, the way I see it, you've got a great opportunity in front of you. Whole new world, new people, free to be whatever you want," he explained his point of view to the Thai-American girl. He then looked at the Latino boy. "I mean, look at Frank. In his world, he's seen as a criminal, but in this world, he's anything he wants to be. Like a hero!"

This genuinely surprised Frank. All this time, he was worried about people finding out about his past, but he'd failed to see how little that past could have an effect on him in this world. Gone was the worry of people not seeing him as anything but a criminal. If he was to tell anyone, he could tell them what really happened, and it would be the truth. No false narrative or anything. "Wow, I never really thought of it like that," he said, taking off his hat and scratching his head. "Thanks, Wally."

"Yup, yup, yup, yup, yup," said Wally as he closed his eyes and laid his head on the log behind him.

Anne looked at him and asked, "Hey, dude, you still awake?"

"Yup, yup, yup, yup, yup."

Frank chuckled and took off his jacket. Seeing what he was going to do, Anne moved Wally's arm down. With his arms at his side, the boy placed his grandfather's jacket over him. Covering the frog as if it was a blanket.

"Weirdo," Anne commented.

"Yup, yup, yup, yup, yup." Wally started snoring.

Now the two kids were the only ones away. Seeing that Wally had gone to sleep, Frank sat on a pillar that was on the ground with Anne. He glanced at her as she dumped her left-over soup into the pot. He sighed and set his soup down. "Hey, I'm…sorry for being a jerk to you," he said to Anne, gaining her attention. "And, you know, for yelling.

"No, it's cool, man. I'm sorry, Frank. I shouldn't have tried to pry into your personal life," Anne quickly said, waving her hands in front of her. For a moment, they sat together, in silence, before Anne worked up the courage to ask the big question on her mind. "So, that's how you were sent to juvy, huh? You were framed?"

Frank looked at the ground with a miserable look on his face and nodded.

"So, what did happen?" Anne asked, somewhat reluctant.

At first, Frank didn't say anything. He glanced at Anne, seeing her expression of curiosity, worry, and sadness. Normally, he would say the same thing he would have told her, that he didn't want to talk about it. Even now, he still didn't. But what was there left to hide? Wally already explained that his past didn't matter in this world. However, did it mean the same with Anne, who was from the same world? Maybe not, but Frank knew he should tell her. He didn't want her to see him as a criminal anymore. So, he took a deep breath.

"Let's just say that I was in the right place at the wrong time when the real thief threw the shoes off the bridge. Hitting me in the head before taking off," he said, beginning his explanation as Anne listened closely. "Next thing I know, the CEO comes barreling in his car and confronts me, drunk as hell, while his secretary tries to talk some sense into him. He slapped her, and then I come in to defend her, before the flat ass trips over and heads his head. The cops came, and it wasn't a very good sight to see. The CEO blackmailed the woman, so she said that I hit him. I was charged for stealing shoes I didn't steal, and ignoring a man I didn't place a hand on."

He fiddled with his fingers for a second before he turned his head to Anne. She was looking at him with a mixed expression. She was stunned and angry with the truth and that the CEO twisted the truth. "So, that's how you got arrested?" She asked.

"Yep," said Frank, nodding. "With no evidence to back me up, because no one else but his secretary saw it happen, well, you likely know what happened. I was given 10 months. 10 months were taken from my life as I was sent to that hellhole of a detention center."

As she stared at Frank, the mixture of emotions in Anne's soul grew. Now she was left in total silence with how her best friend was screwed over. "Dude, that's like…heavy and messed up. Frank, I'm so sorry," she said softly and empathetically as she scooted closer to him. "Didn't your parents try to help you out?"

Frank paused for a moment. That was the part of the whole event that hurt the most. His parents didn't stand with him, taking the cops' side and not his in his darkest time. "They couldn't," he said. It was not a lie. It was only half the truth. "Even before the whole thing, we were running into serious money trouble. Me going to juvy just made things worse. In the end, they had to sell the house. When I got out, the family was already living in a rented apartment. I tried staying there and getting back to a normal life, but it wasn't going really well. I didn't want to be a burden to them, so I decided to live with Grandma. She was all alone when Grandpa died, and I felt like I could do more good being with her."

The more Anne heard, the more her heart broke for him. It was all so awful to hear. Frank truly had no chance. It was unimaginable that someone like Frank Ramirez, who was the sweetest and most kindhearted boy she knew, was arrested and locked up for something he didn't do. She couldn't imagine what kind of hell he went through in that prison.

"Damn, dude," she said, hugging her legs to her chest. "I…I-I can't imagine what that could have been like. But, how come you didn't come back to school after you were let out?"

Frank sighed and said, "Principal Murphy tried to allow me back into the school, but she was overruled by the superintendent."

"Wait, Maggie's dad?" Anne asked, remembering her racist bully from school and how she bragged about her father being the superintendent.

"Yep. Apparently, he didn't think a 'dangerous' kid like myself shouldn't be around normal kids," Frank said, crossing his arms and looking away with a bitter look on his face.

Anne glanced to the side before looking back at her best friend. "Well, I don't think you're so dangerous," she said, giving him a smile.

"Serious?" Frank asked, smirking at her with a raised eyebrow. "You think that the guy that kills monsters on a weekly basis isn't dangerous?"

"Well, I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me," Anne said, scooting closer to him with a blush on her face. "I know you, Frank. I have known you for a long time, and I didn't believe any of the rumors I heard."

"Really?" Frank asked, blushing in surprise.

"You were my first friend, Frank. Even before Marcy and Sasha. You were there for me when I needed you," she said, before tearing up. "I just wish I was there for you, when you need someone."

Frank looked at Anne as she looked away from him. She felt even more ashamed for abandoning him, especially now knowing what happened to him. If she, Sasha, and Marcy continued their friendship with him, maybe they could have helped him. Maybe they could have been there when that asshole confronted him. Anne's mind was barraged with what-if questions as she felt like crying. It wasn't fair to Frank, and he didn't deserve anything bad happening to him.

Pausing for a moment, Frank smiled and said, "Well, there is one good thing that came out of all of it."

"What?" She asked.

"It brought me back to you."

Anne looked at her friend in surprise. At first, she wasn't sure what he meant by that. However, she then began to see what he meant. It was because of all the bad things that happened to him that Frank that he ended up in his grandmother's thrift shop. If not, he wouldn't have been there when she stole the music box, meaning he wouldn't have come to Amphibia with her and her friends.

"Wow, I guess you're right," Anne said, blushing as she looked at him. Both of them smiled while leaning toward one another. However, before they got too close, the campfire crackled, startling them. Realizing that their faces were more than a foot away from one another, they quickly separated and scooted away. "W-Well, we should, you know, get some rest too?"

"Y-Yeah, let's do that," Frank said, quickly grabbing a blanket and covering himself as he laid down. Anne did the same, and they both lied on the ground with their backs facing each other.

The two wondered just want the heck happened. Just the thought of them being so close made their hearts beat louder, and their faces blush brightly. The news feelings they were feeling about one another rattled their brains with so many questions as to what they meant and what they were. But whatever they were, they liked those feelings. It made them feel good inside. However, if what their friends in the past told them was true, they might actually know that they've started the first development of a crush they have on each other.

The next day, the trio continued on their journey until they finally reached their destination. The Misty Moors were exactly like their name said. The moors were covered in a thick fog that made it almost impossible to see more than a yard in front of themselves. As they walked, they passed a few broken sculptors of frogs and some yellow flowers that were growing there.

Together, Frank, Anne, and Wally walked through the mist with the frog holding a lantern. "We've finally made it. The Misty Moors," he said in astonishment with his accordion on his right shoulder. Wally turned to Frank and handed him the lantern. "Time for the Moss Man summoning ritual."

"Summoning ritual?" Anne asked, confused. She didn't have to wait long for her answer when Wally grabbed his accordion and started playing on it again. However, instead of singing words, he started chanting gibberish.

Frank and Anne glanced at each other before looking back at Wally. "Uh... Are you sure this is gonna work?" Frank asked him before noticing something out of the corner of his eyes.

He looked and saw a glowing butterfly flying past his face. "Woo," he said, raising up his finger to allow it to land on his finger. However, when Anne saw it, she gasped.

"Butterflies!" the girl yelled, startling her best friend and scaring the butterfly away. As the insect flew away, Anne chased after it.

"Wait, Anne!" Frank called out to her and followed her.

"Oi! Where are you going? I'm only halfway done." Wally complained, before following them.

Anne didn't stop and wait for them. She saw that same kind of butterfly when she saw the Moss Man. If it was there, then the beast must be nearby. She ran blindly through the mist as Frank followed her from behind. Anne stopped when she lost sight of the butterfly. However, one fly flew in front of her face, and she followed it. Watching as it joined other glowing butterflies. The Thai girl tried to grab at them, but they shattered away. Anne quickly chased one, but ended up running into a moss-covered wall, which knocked her to the ground.

"Anne!" Frank called out to her, running to Anne. However, when he saw what she had run into, he stopped in his tracks and gasped. Anne sat up and looked up, gasping as well.

It was none other than the Moss Man, holding out a finger to allow a butterfly to land on it. When Anne ran into it, the creature turned its head to her, its eyes glowing brightly. Groaning as it stared at the kids.

Seeing how close they were to it and how they had the perfect moment on their hands, Frank and Anne quickly tried to pull out their phones. However, in their haste, they fumbled and dropped their phones before they could properly take a picture. Frank was able to get the camera app open and aimed it at the Moss Man. He was just about to take the picture when Wally came screaming and ran into the back of his legs. Knocking the boy onto Anne.

Startled, the Moss Man groaned and started running away on all fours.

"Holy crap, it's real!" Frank exclaimed.

"Quick! After it," Anne shouted, running off after the Moss Man with the others following her. As she ran after it, she saw it running away from her on its legs. Seeing it getting further away and being covered more by the mist, Anne reached towards it. "Wait! No! Wait….No…"

She came to a stop when it completely disappeared in the mist, and all that was left in front of her were the ruins of a bell tower. Anne panted in exhaustion with her hands on her knees before looking up. Frank and Wally joined her, looking around for the monster, but finding it nowhere.

"Where'd it go?" Wally asked.

"Oh, damn mist! We lost him again," Anne groaned at her bad luck.

"Hang on!" Frank grabbed his phone from his pocket. "I think I was able to snap a picture of it."

"Let me see!" Anne shouted with excited impatience as she and Wally gathered around him.

Opening his phone's album and clicking on the most recent picture taken, Frank and Anne waited with baited breaths as the phone loaded. However, to their dismay, the phone showed only one of the Moss Man's tree branches.

"Wait, that's it!?" Anne yelled, grabbing the phone from him. "That's all you were able to get?"

"I must have taken it when Wally knocked into me," Frank said, taking his phone back from her hands.

Anne growled in frustration and placed her balled fists to her face. "We were so close!"

"Yeah, but look on the bright side," Frank said, smiling at her in an attempt to cheer her up. "You were able to see the Moss Man! I don't think anyone could honestly say that."

"I just can't believe it's actually real," Wally said.

"I know, right?" Anne said, smiling as she started to feel better.

The feeling immediately died when both she and Frank realized what Wally just said. They turned to him with confused frowns before the Hispanic boy asked, "Whatcha talkin bout, Wallace?"

"It's Walliam, actually," Wally said.

"Wait, wait, wait," Anne said, holding up her hands in a 'hold it' gesture. She then motioned for him to rewind his statement. "Back up! What do you mean you can't believe the Moss Man's really? You always knew it was real!"

"I lied," Wally said, much to the shock of both human kids. "I thought it was a myth. I mean, it's preposterous."

"But you- I don't- What?!" Frank yelled, slapping his hands on his face and grabbing his head in frustration.

"So you lied to us and took the two of us all the way out here? For what?!" Anne screamed, glaring at the frog in fury.

"Well, it's so we could have fun, right?" Wally asked, shrugging his shoulders.

Anne stared at Wally in utter bewilderment, unable to fully believe what he had just told her. "Are you kidding me?!" She yelled, exploding on him. "I didn't come here to have fun! All this time wasted, when I could've easily gone back with no proof! And then everyone would think I was like you!"

Silence fell on the moors as Wally looked at her in surprise, before looking at her in sadness. Deeply hurt by her words, he set his lantern down and said, "What's so bad about being like me?"

Realizing how badly she'd hurt him, Anne said, "Wally…" but it was no use as Wally walked around her and Frank, leaving them as he walked back the way the trio came from. "Oh, woof. I really screwed up, huh?"

"Yeah, you kind of did," Frank said, frowning at her. "Go talk to him, I'll keep an eye out for the Moss Man." He walked off to look for the Moss Man. Anne looked down in shame before running off the catch-up to Wally.

"Wally. I didn't—" Anne began as she caught up with him. Wally stopped, but didn't look at her. He just stuffed his hands in his pockets and kept his eyes closed. Anne sighed and recomposed herself. "That's not what I meant. I'm sorry. It's cool you don't care what people think about you," she said, walking over and sitting down next to him as he turned to look at her. "And I'm glad we came out here together."

Wally turned to her and narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "You mean it?"

"Totally." Anne said, holding out her hand. Seeing this, Wally smiled, and the two tired out Anne's handshake. "Clap it, pull it back, fist bump…" However, the handshake quickly fell apart as Wally did not know the way she and Frank did it, only watched. But even Anne didn't seem to know what she was doing. Likely because she forgot.

"Guys!" The two looked to see Frank a few yards away. He was waving to them and pointing at something. "I see the Moss Man! Hurry!"

Anne looked at where he was pointing and yelled in alarm upon seeing the Moss Man running away from them. "We gotta hoof it!"

Frank waited anxiously for Wally and Anne to run to him. When they did, the trio took off after the Moss Man. Wally repeatedly said "yup" as they followed the large footprints of the creature deeper into the moors. For a moment, it looked as if the Moss Man disappeared again. However, they stopped when they ran up to the face of a large cliff that overlooked the moors and mist.

Noticing a trail of mossy footprints going up the face of the cliff, the trio looked skywards. They saw the Moss Man climbing up the cliff before reaching the top. It pulled itself over the edge and disappeared.

Seeing this, Frank wondered if the chase was over. However, this was proven wrong when Anne nudged his arm. "Good thing I did bouldering club in school," she said. Grabbing onto the rocky surface, Anne started climbing up the cliff. "Come on, boys! One hand in front of the other!"

The two boys looked at each other before nodding. First, Frank started climbing, before Wally followed behind him. They followed Anne as she traveled ahead of them, eager to get the photo she needed to prove to everyone the Moss Man was real.

Wally was struggling for a moment. Trying to keep up with Frank and Anne. However, as Frank took a step on the rocks with his mud-covered bare feet, a pebble came loose and fell down. It hit Wally on the hat, making his hat come loose and fly off in the wind. Revealing his dark turquoise hair, which was shoulder length and surprisingly well kept.

"Oh! My iconic hat!" He said in dismay. Now Frank was the only one with a hat.

Reaching out and grabbing the top of the cliff, Anne grunted as she pulled herself up. Peeking her head out, she gasped upon seeing the Moss Man. He was just sitting alone, letting butterflies land on his fingers. Letting out low growling sounds as he enjoyed his solitary life.

Anne chuckled to herself. "Perfect." She said, before looking down at the boys. "Yo, guys, you almost up here?"

"Yeah, we're almost there!" Frank said, still climbing.

"You know, I think I'm really starting to get the hang of this," Wally said.

However, in the next second, the rock cracked under his weight and broke off. Wally screamed as he plummeted to the ground.

"Wally!" Frank and Anne screamed before the boy jumped off the cliff and dove down towards the frog. Reaching out, Frank grabbed Wally by his scarf. He then pulled out his scythe from his back and swung it. Stabbing the crescent-shaped blade into the cliff to slow down his descent until coming to a complete stop.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" Anne yelled, before starting to climb back down.

"No. We'll be fine. Just take the picture!" Frank yelled up at her. He then grunted as he tried pulling Wally up.

However, as he did this, the scarf started to come undone. Wally yelled in alarm, and just as it did come loose, he grabbed it and held on for dear life. "On second thought, we could use her help!" He exclaimed.

Frank nodded and looked up at Anne. "I'm going to throw Wally up to you! You catch him!"

"What?!" Wally yelled, looking up at Frank like he was crazy. He then leaned his head to the side to glance at Anne. "He wouldn't, right?"

Frank started off by swinging Wally back and forth on his scarf. "One…"

"He would."

"Two…"

"No, no no no no no no no," Wally yelled, shaking his head desperately.

"Three!" Frank swung Wally with all his might and tossed him up into the air.

Wally screamed in terror as he flew up into the air. He then started losing momentum and was about to start falling again if it were for Anne. The Thai-American girl quickly reached out and grabbed Wally's leg. Letting out strained grunts, Anne pulled Wally up onto the top of the cliff and then pulled herself up.

Seeing this, Frank pulled his scythe out from the rocks and attached it to his back. He climbed up to the top of the cliff and climbed over the edge. Standing up, he looked to see Anne next to him with her back hunched forward and a depressed expression on her face. "Where's the Moss Man?" He asked, seeing that it was nowhere to be seen.

"It's gone," she said.

"The trail's gone too," Wally said, pointing out to where it once was. "You lost your one chance to get proof, and it's all my fault." He looked at Anne with his one good eye and his beautiful hair blowing in the wind. "Now everyone's gonna think you're as loony as I am."

However, instead of dreading that outcome, Anne smiled. "You know what? I'm good with that," she said, sitting down on the edge of the cliff.

"Wait, really? What a turnaround," said the town kook as he and Frank sat down next to her.

"But what about the photo?" Frank asked her, surprised by how easily she was letting it all go. "How will people know that you're not crazy?"

"We know what we saw," she said, grabbing his hand and holding it. Anne then wrapped her other arm around Wally. "And a good friend once told me it doesn't matter what other people think of you."

Frank smiled at her, proud of his friend. Wally said, "That's a good line. Would your friend mind if I used it?"

"It was you, dumb-dumb," Frank said.

Wally cackled. "Yeah, I know. Or was it?" He playfully said, narrowing his eyes at the two.

"You goofball," Anne said, slapping him on the back. However, this caused Wally to fall off the cliff.

"WALLY!" Frank and Anne screamed.

Wally survived! Somehow.

With an arm and a leg in a cast, he, Frank, and Anne returned to Wartwood to recount their epic journey to all the townsfolk. When word got around that not just one, but three people saw the Moss Man, everyone was eager to hear their story. Surely they would finally be able to put the legend to rest and prove that the myth was real.

As Wally told the story while standing on a barrel, Frank and Anne stood on both sides. The girl held Wally's accordion, while the human boy held a guitar. "So there we were, our bodies ravaged," Wally said, as Anne played the accordion for a short second. "Hanging on the edge of the cliff, the beastie staring down at us, lickin' its mossy chops." Frank followed that up by playing a few suspenseful notes on the guitar.

"Any proof?" One woman frog asked.

"Actually, yes," Frank said, placing the guitar down and pulling out his phone. Opening the photo he'd taken, he showed it to everyone, who squinted their eyes.

"Is that a tree branch?" Someone else asked.

"Yep," he said.

This was enough to convince everything that the trio was either making up the story or was crazy. Either way, they dispersed and went back to their daily lives.

"Eh, tough crowd," Wally said as Anne handed him his instrument.

"Can't please everyone," she said.

"Thank you for your help, Wally," Frank said, placing the guitar on his shoulder. "Even though you lied to us and led us on a wild goose chase."

"You're welcome. Well, best be heading off," Wally said with a jolly smile. He then walked off, playing his accordion like the happy-go-lucky frog he was.

"Heh, what a loon," Anne said with a smile.

"Yeah. Great hair, though," Frank said, still surprised by that fact. He looked at Anne and rubbed his arm in embarrassment. "Hey, Anne, about…you know. I just want to say thanks for listening and believing in me. And if it's not too much trouble, could you not tell anyone else? I want to tell them myself, but I'm not ready."

"It's okay, Frank," Anne said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Whenever you're ready, I'll be there for you."

"Frank, Anne!" yelled Polly as she hopped over to the two humans. With the tadpole were Sprig and Hop Pop. "We heard people at Stumpy's saying you're both as weird as Wally."

"You must be pretty upset," Sprig said, feeling great pity for them.

Anne scoffed at that. "Honestly, guys, I don't mind."

"You don't have to be strong for us," Hop Pop said as gently as he could and cherished Anne's hand. Rubbing it soothingly. "Let it out, girl."

"No, seriously. I'm fine," she said, getting annoyed. However, Hop Pop just shushed her like she was a baby.

"Poor thing."

Now Anne was really annoyed. However, why be the only one to have all the fun? "Wanna chase them around like deranged lunatics?" She asked Frank.

"I'd thought you'd never ask," Frank said with a hand on his chest, pretending to be flattered. Together, they yelled out loud, startling the frogs, before they started chasing after them. Frank held the guitar over his head to smash it on someone's head and Anne foamed at the mouth.

"I'm One-Shoed Anne!"

"And I'm No-Shoes Frank!"

"They're deranged!" Polly screamed.