What happened started off so innocently. We were kids, we played, we made fun of the old neighbours, especially the weird and wacky ones.

We picked on old Mrs Kelty.

We kids thought she was a witch and so we taunted her every chance we had to cast a spell over us.

We thought it was great sport until it happened.

We must have gone a step too far because Mrs Kelty cornered us one afternoon and told us to stop before it was too late. We thought she was joining in the fun.

The next day Jack’s mum rang to say Jack was missing. His bed had been slept in but she couldn’t find Jack.

They searched high and low, police, SES the lot. No sign of him.

But I know where he is.

He’s in a shoebox in the corner of my room.

Mum thinks I’ve found him, large green frog out in the garden but I know it’s not a normal frog, it’s Jack.

I found him on the end of my bed. Sitting there with a mournful look on his face.

How do I tell his mum what’s happened to him. He gives out these pathetic scratchy croaks and I watched him devour some flies he found on my windowsill. Gross is what Jack would say.

Its been six months and as well as Jack, our mate Archie has also disappeared. I don’t know what has happened to him but Mrs Kelty is looking very smug these days.

I know Jack can’t stay in my room. He needs a pond, somewhere to be a frog. I thought of the garden but our cat eyed him and I felt it might not be such a good idea as Jack was unpleasant to the cat every chance he got.

I took him down to his place. His mum takes great pride in her garden and they have a small pond with a fountain in one corner. I placed him in the pond and he seemed to like it.

I’d taken him home, I felt better about that.

Next door to Jack’s is Mrs Kelty and every so often I see her looking over the fence. She wanted to know if Jack was happy in the pond. I told her he was and was she going to turn him into a boy again?

In time she told me, it was important, she said for us all to have learned a lesson.

I said we were sorry we picked on her.

Apparently we weren’t the first, nor were we the last she told me as she waddled away cackling to herself. Jack gave a little croak and jumped back into the pond.

Written for: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2021/05/23/sunday-writing-prompt-may-23-21-speak-now-or-forever-hold-your-peace/