A rumor spread among the frogs. At first it insinuated itself, a sinister murmur, in the dark corners of frog world. Then stories began to circulate of frogs that had been taken...for their legs. A new custom had arisen among humans, the habit of eating frog legs.
It was a dark day indeed when the realization of this truth took hold. A council of leaders from nearby frog communities convened.
"We need allies," the eldest of the group pronounced.
However, it was not the eldest but the youngest, that suggested a solution--forming an alliance with another beleaguered species.
"Turtle soup," the young one announced with portent. "Our neighbors in the Great Pond have been a gruesome addition to human menus for many years. Let us join forces."
It was this novel idea of uniting with another species that led to a resolution of the frog leg/turtle soup calamity.
"We will hire watch dogs! Who better to stand guard, and protect us, than stalwart watch dogs?"
An announcement was posted on trees along the pond edge: Guard Dogs Needed.
Soon dogs began to appear, dogs eager for employment. These creatures had of late been deprived of their traditional guarding duties at human homes. They had been replaced by mechanical security systems.
And so it happened that tranquility returned to the frogs. In the distance, pirate marauders circled, but these were no match for the army of guard dogs whose vigilance ensured that the turtles would no longer be soup, and frogs could keep their legs.
Elements Used in the Collage
Pirate Ship
dueg-oth
Pixabay
Pirate Symbol on Ship
@seckorama
LIL
Frog
#evagavilan2
LIL
Also: many pictures from my own photo collection.
Welcome to Round 234 of the LMAC Collage Contest. As you can see from my brief story and my fantasy picture, creating a collage for LMAC is great fun. (I don't compete in the contest because I help to select the finalists).
This round of the contest has been extended, and will end on August 11. The extra time will allow more participation in the challenge.
In making my collage I used the template, which was contributed by @anibal-aa, and may be found in the LMAC Image Library, LIL.
My collage begin with the picture below, which was taken on a family excursion to Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery this past year. My daughter was originally standing next to her dog. Her image had to be removed.
I modified the picture so that the waters of Oyster Bay Harbor were in the background, instead of cars and metal objects. I also moved the dog to the center of the picture and had him engaging with a turtle.
Then I kept adding dogs, turtles, and frogs. The turtle pictures actually came from that visit to the hatchery and also from a visit my husband and I took to Eisenhower Park, on Long Island. I added the barge (modified), where the dogs could protect the perimeter of the pond community. This barge photo came from another excursion my husband and took to Bar Beach, in Hempstead, Long Island.
Finally, I added the pirate ship and wrote on its banners: Turtle Soup, Frog Legs. I stuck @seckorama's pirate symbol to the mast and painted on some color in the sky. I put smoke in the chimney of the distant house (I know--no one will see that), and added an overall cyan hue to the collage.
I know, the story is silly, but I wanted to do something light this time. And I do love dogs, frogs, and turtles.
Please join in the fun. Borrow from our proprietary image library, LIL. We have nice prizes and a welcoming community. Check out the announcement for this round to learn the rules for the contest, and find out more about LIL from this blog by @shaka.
Peace and health to all.
I liked the 'turtles on the log' and 'dog kissing the frog' parts most. Awesome! 😘
Thank you very much!! Great fun in making this. Crazy stuff going on in my house right now. Getting lost in this momentarily was a wonderful break.
ah? whats that?
I do understand you. Me going into photoshop processing images is always a helpful meditation.
🌈😇🌈
Quite an easy colkage from you today...
Love the story 😂
Thank you, my young friend. I couldn't resist the dog template...I had all those pictures of our own dog at home, and all those turtle photos.
Hope you are having a great day.
You make me think at the pond here! Turtles are never scared tough lol but guard dogs is a good idea!
Not only are guard dogs a good idea, 😆 but using them gave me an opportunity to post pictures of our beautiful family dog.
That's a great turtle picture.
I wouldn't say silly, I'd say imaginative and, it made me smile.
Thank you :). That's one thing that hasn't faded with time: my imagination. Don't ask about everything else.😇
This was such a delightful read—whimsical, funny, and full of heart. I love how you turned a serious ecological threat into a playful alliance of frogs, turtles, and unemployed dogs! 🐸🐢🐶 The idea of them forming a pond security force is just brilliant. And your collage tells the story so well, especially the detail of the pirate ship with "Turtle Soup, Frog Legs" banners—hilarious and clever! 😄 Your creativity never fails to make the community brighter.
What a delightful comment to my bit of fun. You are kind and have a great knack for writing. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I'm so glad you stopped by. Now I have 'discovered' you. I love good writing. This is one of the best-structured comments I've ever read 💐 I'll try to keep track of your blog.
Have the most wonderful day, and make sure to put a little fun in it, no matter what comes across your path.
Thank you @agmoore. ❤️
This place is special and interesting and especially when we get to see the things we love, this time becomes memorable.
Oh, I like this. I love it! And to think that the frogs would need dogs to protect their legs! Thank goodness it’s only fiction (she said as if she lived in a humane world). 😁😁😪😪😢😁
Thank you, thank you, thank you, my friend @itsostylish
As if. Isn't that why we write? We create our own world, for just a few moments.
This blog was truly fun to write...for just a little while, I'm there :)
Un collage muy placentero, con la energía de tortugas y perros. Esos panoramas amplios, con mucho horizonte...