7. Chapter 7(2)

“It’s just,” She gave the two guys in her family a desperate look “Did you hear him? He knows something! I-I have to talk-!” Her grandfather put a hand on her shoulder, both to ground her and hold her back. He looked back straight into her eyes, despite the slight shudder that ran down his spine.

“I know, Anne. But he’ll still be here for a good while, and he promised you he’d come and talk to you again. And if he forgets I’ll drag him to you personally. But right now, he’s an anxious father that just got his frightened kids back safely. Just give him a moment to relax and reassure them for now. And I think you need some time to recover too before you hear him out.”

Looking him in the eyes and taking in his calm expression, she was slowly starting to calm down too. She looked back at the man holding his son with his daughter tucked under one arm and forced herself to be patient. She’d give him until his kids were tucked in and wouldn’t panic because he wasn’t there, at least.

After everyone was eventually evacuated from their flooded houses, either by raft or by salt-proof beast, the Plantars finally made their way home. Anne had never seen the farm this crowded before. Most of the worst wounded had been set up inside the house on mattresses or cots, people either resting or chatting. It turned out Sprig had allowed the kids to take over his bedroom, ‘like a giant sleepover’ he had said, like he wasn’t nervously watching Teddy reach for his action figures. Everyone else that didn’t have a safe roof to sleep under had set up tents in their garden and the area around, taking care to avoid the crop fields.

It was crowded, but in a cozy way as people hung out and cheered each other up. The moment Felicia noticed Hopediah coming their way she asked to use the kitchen and some produce. She, Stumpy, and a few others wanted to make everyone dinner.

Anne ended up joining them. She had wanted to learn how to cook for a while now, but…Hop Pop wasn’t exactly the best at it. So now that he was distracted with being a good host, it was her chance to learn without being forced to do it the ‘old way’. And even if Stumpy’s restaurant wasn’t exactly the best, he seemed to be in a better mood and to be putting in the effort now that he had company to help him. She actually ended up enjoying learning a simple dish to feed the masses.

Boiled potatoes with carrots and peas from Hop Pop’s garden, served with roasted cricket bites and a good chunk of giant worm. Anne plated some extra veggies and just the crickets, leaving out the worm, before she went to settle with her family at the dinner table. There were some other elderly residents sitting with them, but they mostly seemed to be minding their card game. Everyone seemed to be enjoying their dinner, but Anne had a little something she wanted to try out. Even though her taste for certain plants had changed, potatoes just kinda stayed almost as bland as before. But after today…

She opened one of her old medicine bottles, one she had cleaned out and now had just a little bit of a white, rough powder of sorts. Sprig, who was sitting next to her, was the first to flinch back. Anne had already been able to sprinkle just a pinch on her potatoes before her Hop Pop smelled it too.

“Anne!” The girl stopped with a bite of light yellow tuber almost halfway into her mouth “Seriously? I mean we know you can handle it, but seriously?” She hesitated.

“Just…it really wasn’t that bad. And since I started cooking I’ve kinda been…I dunno…craving it?” Cravings weren’t all that unnatural. Usually they happened when an Amphibian had been missing a certain kind of food from their diet and needed a certain nutrient. Hop Pop had always prided himself on making sure his grandkids got everything they needed to stay strong and healthy, but if he was honest with himself, he had no clear idea what exactly Anne needed. Maybe it was just a part of her natural diet?

The old frog placed a hand over his eyes, giving a resigned sigh as he nodded. Several eyes at the table observed Anne as she finally shoved the abandoned bite into her mouth. She chewed on it slowly, still making sure if it really did taste right or if she’d have some adverse effects from it after all. Several frogs tensed as tears started beading in her eyes.

“Oh my f’og...” She whispered shakily, completely forgetting to make sure her mouth was empty before she spoke. “Dish ish da besht thing I’ff eve’ taschted.”

The frogs around the table sat frozen as Anne proceeded to practically inhale her potatoes. For a while, the Plantars could only watch the horror they had adopted, until Sprig slowly leaned towards his youngest sister.

“She’s actually eating poison. We have a big sister that can eat poison…” He stammered to her. Polly just looked on for a moment longer, before answering in an aggressive, 'trying to hold in your hooting', kind of whisper.

“Coolest. Sister. EVER!” Hop Pop, for his part, took a deep breath, got up, and walked away from the table. He didn’t look angry, just stunned.

“Hey wait a second there Hopediah.” Mrs Croaker called after him “Aren’t you gonna finish your meal?”

“Dinner can wait, I need answers!” Came the reply from the living room.

In all that time, Anne had not stopped experimentally putting pinches of salt on each scoop of her veggies as well. It was only when she was trying to pry cricket legs from between her teeth with a fork that a now considerably calmer Hop Pop returned, the book about mammals they still had tucked under his arm.

“Okay, I got somethin’.” He announced. Anne perked up at the sight of the best source of answers they’d had to most of their questions so far.

“So? What does the book say?”

“Not that much really.” He admitted “It just said that a lot of herbivorous mammals, next to eatin’ small amounts a meat from time to time, will also lick saltrock to replenish certain minerals they don’t get from eatin’ plants alone. Says here that if they’re deprived of it, they’ll grow sick and weak, and eventually die. So it is indeed just Anne balancin’ her nutrients, ‘s even good for her.”

Several frogs made a face, kind of horrified that anything would need literal poison in their system to function properly. Meanwhile Hop Pop actually found himself a bit relieved that they hadn’t tried to raise Anne as she was. They wouldn’t have known what was wrong or what to do if she got sick from a lack of something they never would have dreamed of giving a baby. But with her frog form as a buffer, they'd have the time to figure it out! He rubbed his eyes for what felt like the millionth time that day.

“Okay Anne, I’m just gonna clean out yer medicine cabinet so it’s for yer stuff alone. That way if we find something else poisonous to frogs that you like to eat, we can store it there. I’ll try to get hold of a proper jar a salt for you too.”

The girl could only smile at her grandpa as he finally started to eat his cooling dish. He'd been dealing with so much weird nonsense ever since she started transforming. Nonsense that, by his own words, he was too old for! And yet he was there for her, defending her and looking for answers right along with her. Despite their rocky start, she was happy he was included in all this.

Hopefully this would lead to some sort of clue. Maybe to someone like her, or someone that knew about her species. The fact Monthy heard about something like her in some Shut-In story wasn’t exactly comforting. But if they could just get something, any information on what she actually was supposed to be like… Even if she’d have to take her medicine her entire life to keep some sanity, it would still be better if she knew for sure. All she needed was to talk to him and get whatever information or clues he had. Almost as if the newt was summoned, his voice came from the base of the stairs.

“Uhm, Mr. Plantar? Would it be alright if I put my kids to bed with the rest? I’m…not really ready to leave them on their own in my wagon yet. I-I brought our own sleeping bags.” The family peeked out of the kitchen to see him standing there, said bags on his back, a daughter with drooping eyes on one arm, and his sleeping son in the other. The poor boy had been crying for a good portion of the afternoon and conked out the second he had gotten some mild willow bark tea for the pain. Anne actually felt a whole lot better seeing them at ease now.

“Well, it’s Sprig’s room, he’s the one that decided the kids could stay there.” Sprig nodded at his grandfather’s words, not even needing to think it over.

“Sure they can! It’s the second door on the left, opposite of the washroom. Mr. Flour and Mrs. Readt are also up there to watch them.” The newt nodded in gratitude.

“Thank you, you are incredibly kind. This whole family is so, so kind.” It sounded more like he was mumbling that last part to himself as he gave his daughter a light bounce “So sweetie, what do we say to the nice frog family?” The girl startled slightly, but kept her eyes open long enough to register what she was asked to do and who to turn to as she did it.

“Thank you Plantars, thank you miss Anne Monster. Good night.” And with a little wave from said frog family, the newt started carrying his children up to tuck them in. But not before throwing the tallest of them a meaningful look, and mouthing a ‘I’ll be back’ in her direction. Anne felt a light shock throughout her body at that, breaths growing quicker again. Hop Pop laid a hand on hers to calm her down a little bit.

“It’s alright, Anne. I’ll be right there with you.”

“OH OH! Can we come? I wanna hear about this story!”

“Yeah me too! I wanna hear about this creature like Anne!” Polly and Sprig entirely ignored the disgruntled looks the resting frogs gave them for their sudden outburst, looking at their grandfather instead. He looked back to the beast at the table, getting a nod from her.

“Alright, you can come. But you gotta promise me to let him talk and stay calm. This is for Anne and I’m sure she’s gonna want to hear the whole story.” It was a few minutes later, as Anne was nervously nibbling on a cricket leg she managed to dislodge, that a soft voice came from near the stairs.

“Miss Anne?” She might have gotten up a bit too aggressively, so she made sure to pace her steps as she approached the brown newt. She wrung her hands nervously as she spoke.

“My family would like to listen in as well. Is it…are you comfortable talking about this outside, in private? We can sit on the back pier.”

“Sure thing, miss. Lead the way.” With that, the group made their way to the back door, Hop Pop holding it open as each walked through.

“Hey, I was kinda wondering, what were your kids doing outside on a rainy night like that anyway?” He asked the newt as Anne ducked under the frame.

“Oh, funnily enough they were looking for your granddaughter.” Anne flinched a little at that new piece of information “Some of the kids in town had told them there lived a weird monster in a big house out in the fields, but you could get on it’s good side by giving it fruit. So they got curious and snuck out at night to go see it for themselves. They got to the wrong fields and wrong big buildings, though. I’m just… grateful they were close enough to the mills to get up high when the water came.” Anne felt the guilt creeping in again.

“Listen, Mr. Sune, I am so, SO sorry for any trouble I’ve caused you. And I’m also sorry if I traumatized your kids or something.” The newt literally waved it off.

“Oh it’s alright, it wasn't your fault. And believe me, you aren’t the thing that traumatized my children. If anything, you’re gonna be the pleasant twist to their favorite Shut-In tale that I’m gonna have to hear for many years to come!” He gave a hearty little chuckle at the thought.

“Speaking of which.” The newt quickly looked at his surroundings, deciding to sit on one of the crates with supplies they had gotten ready for their upcoming yearly fishing trip. The family followed his example, Anne sitting on the ground so she wouldn’t seem as towering. She was still high up enough to be at eye level with everyone anyway.

“Okay so, last year’s Shut-In, a friend of mine told us this story. His son was there when it happened, but it was said son’s roommate that actually got to see the creature.” The entire group shuffled forward, eager to hear the tale this man had to tell.

“He said that his son was sitting in the Newtopian Library with his roommate, studying for a test. When suddenly there was the sound of books falling over and a cry of pain. Of course everyone thought ‘Oh no, somebody knocked over a shelf and got hurt’, so they went looking. It took them quite a while, and as they called out for the newt that got hurt they were only answered by whimpers. Eventually, someone found a small corner that had been hidden from view, looking almost like a private reading corner. Suddenly, a pile of books in the corner started moving, and from under it crawled the most hideous creature nobody even knew existed.

“The creature had a large head with sleek black hair, set on a thin neck, predatory eyes looking around wildly with a weird lump underneath. It’s limbs were long and gangly, making weird twitchy movements as they grabbed for any purchase on their environment. Teeth were bared as whimpers came out, sounding exactly like a newt in agony. Then the creature's eyes snapped to focus on the one that intruded on it's space. It stretched out one large, handlike paw with crescent shaped claws and spoke in a voice, scratchy and agonized, yet sounding so much like an actual child in need."

"P-please, help...m-m-me."

"The newt that had found it chucked a book at it's head and ran for the exit. A few others that didn't know yet what horrors waited for them shuffled closer, only for the beast to come shambling into the hall. The son's roommate ran to get his friend, hearing a high pitched screech behind him, like someone coming face to face with pure terror. He found his friend and they got out together. Within mere minutes, the building was evacuated! The military searched the building from top to bottom, yet they found no trace of it!

"Some say it was a monster that had been locked up under the library many centuries ago and now got out. Others think it was a malevolent spirit, possessive over the tomes it had hoarded. And yet others speculate that it was the learning young of a beast that would try to mimic its prey to lure them in for the kill. But there’s one thing that everyone can agree on.

“If you need to be in the Newtopian Scolar Library, be weary of the gaps between bookcases. Keep an eye on the dark corners, never let yourself be alone in the hallways. And most of all, avoid the den, or you might just meet the Newtopian Book Beast.” Everyone stayed silent for almost a minute, until Polly couldn’t take it anymore and finally spoke up.

“Oooooh, ominous. I LIKE that story!”

“And I can see how that description would match someone like Anne. But it still sounds kinda vague, doesn’t it?” Hop pop added. Monthly shrugged.

“Well, yes. But there are some disagreements on what the creature looks like, what I described were the characteristics everyone agreed on. Part of the reason some people believe it’s some kind of mimic is because of the different things they saw. The roommate who saw it shambling into the hall described it looking more like Anne; beige-brown-ish skin, five fingers, mostly symmetrical, no tail. The first person to see it, though, actually described it having four fingers as it reached for them, missmatching limbs and eyes, a short tail, and skin with beige and green patches. But maybe it’s a matter of panicking and seeing something scarier than it actually was, or the story being changed as it’s passed around, or… you know exactly what might have been going on there don’t you?”

Monthly stopped himself as he noticed the shocked looks on the Plantars’ faces. Sprig was the one to get his mind in order first.

“Well… you see, Anne takes this potion that turns her into a frog, she actually grew up being a frog most of her life.” The newt nodded calmly, indicating he had heard some of this already “When Anne drinks the potion, the transformation into a frog is rather even, almost aesthetically pleasing to watch. When the effects run out and she changes into this, though… well...” Sprig brought the hand he had used to gesture to his sister back in front of his chest along with the other, wringing them together uncomfortably.

“It looks violent. It looks horrifying. And some of the things you mentioned like the symmetry being off or the patchy skin color, even the webbing between her hands and feet kinda shrinking away, those are all things we’ve seen her body do.”

“Plus,” Anne added hesitantly “My first few transformations were extremely painful. My body seems to have gotten used to transforming by now since sometimes I don’t even notice it’s happening, but…” She imagined going through her very first change, but without her family there AND not knowing what was going on. With only strangers that lashed out at her when they saw her face. She could feel her claws starting to dig into her skin where she was hugging herself in comfort, feeling empathy for this poor creature she hadn’t even met. Monthy spoke slowly as he noticed Anne wasn’t continuing.

“So what you’re saying is: The Newtopian Book Beast is indeed likely one of your kind? One that was also disguising themselves, likely as a newt, and was completely caught off guard by their transformation?”

“That sure is what it sounds like.” Hop Pop admitted with a nod. Monthly sat back slowly, crossing his arms over his chest as a troubled look set over his features.

“People think it was making itself sound like a kid in distress to lure people in. But seeing how…tame? Is it okay if I use that word? No… benevolent Anne is, she might have actually been a young girl calling out for help because she was in pain. Poor thing.” Realizing this, Anne shot forward, making the newt set his hands behind him so he wouldn’t fall over from the semi-predator’s sudden approach.

“Do you have any idea about what happened to them?! Are they okay? Did someone get to them?” Monthy held up his hands in her face, making her realize how close she was and causing her to back up. Once he calmed down and his voice decided to work again, he told her what he knew.

“Like I said, no one has seen it again after that incident. Military, a noble, and even the king himself had gone in to survey the situation. And all of them confirmed that they couldn’t find anything evidencing the creature was even there. So… my best guess is that the creature is still hiding somewhere in the building… Or maybe… maybe the king is helping to hide it?” Now that certainly caught everyone’s attention.

“I mean, think about it. The king is a very kind guy. If he came to realize the creature was just a scared little kid, maybe even has a loving family like you guys, he wouldn’t let any harm come to them. He might even cover it up so no-one would go looking for clues, to protect them.”

“Well yer certainly right on that. The king is a very wise and benevolent ruler. He would make sure an innocent child is safe.” Hop Pop observed.

“Hop Pop! I gotta get to that library! This is a clue, we finally have a lead! If I could just get into the same building as them, maybe I could lure them out? Or if the king sees me and knows about them, he just might trust us with more information, right?” The girl jumped to her feet, nearly tripping and stumbling as she wanted to move in every direction at the same time.

“I gotta get ready. There’s so much to do! Hey, could I borrow Bessie for a while? No, you guys need her too for transport and stuff. Maybe I could look for another ride? I don’t have that much money. Maybe tame something myself? I need to pack. Gotta figure out what to take since I’ll have to travel lig-.” Hop Pop jumped up from his seat, making a grab for one of his granddaughter’s flailing arms. It snapped her out of the panic she was working herself into, giving him a chance to be heard.

“Woah there kiddo, slow down. There’s no need to be so hasty. The pass is still closed, remember?”

“But, but, with all the rain!”

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean it’s open yet. It’s still ice cold at the pass, chances are whatever melted has been snowed in again throughout the day. You don’t need to hurry yourself, WE have time.” Anne noticed how much emphasis he was putting on the word ‘we’.

“We?” She repeated.

“Now don’t you think I didn’t notice you were talking about yerself in singular.”

“Yeah! If you’re gonna go on some big adventure of self discovery, we’re gonna go with you, gurl!” Sprig nodded along sagely with his little sister’s words, humming his agreement. Anne, for her part, was momentarily stunned.

“You…you’re gonna come with-?”

“Of course we’re gonna come with you, kiddo! What, you really think I’m just gonna let my granddaughter go on a dangerous journey like that all on her own?"

“No way josé! Where you go, we’ll go right along with you.”

“Spranne against the wooooorld!” It had been a long time since she’d heard him say that. That coupled with her siblings joining in on it disoriented her even more.

"Plus I was kinda considerin’ goin’ to Newtopia anyway. See if I could maybe find a trustworthy newt to help do more research on you. If this other creature has a family too, maybe they could even help us with that!"

“B-but, the farm?”

“We’ll find someone to watch over it, that’s why we have time. We’ll also need somethin’ comfortable to live in on the road. We’ll need food and supplies, I’ll have to ask Valeriana to get us a month or three’s worth a potion to take with us. Better to not start any riots on the way.” Monthy jumped in at this.

“With all those preparations, chances are I’ll be leaving before you. On the way, I’ll start telling stories about you. No revealing information, just kinda, plant the idea that your species can be nice in people’s minds. They might not believe me initially, but it might make it a little bit easier in case they see you.”

“Well, I don’t know if that would work.” Hop Pop pondered “But that would be mighty kind of you, Mr. Sune.”

“It would be my pleasure, it’s the least I could do after what you did for me. Oh! I know this wagon salesman who’s currently in Lilypaddington, I can send him a little message to find you something nice and big enough for a reasonable price.”

With the adults continuing to discuss their plans and how they were going to help, Anne felt absolutely giddy! She couldn’t wait to potentially meet another of her kind! None of them knew how either of them would react to seeing each other for the first time, but they at least knew how to placate one of them if things went awry.

They all could only hope that this supposed other one would be just as friendly as Anne…