Floating Grease Chronicles: Chapter of the Frog

At a time when frogs had no need to croak in the dark night, their chorus wasn't as noisy as it is today, and reeds had just sprouted in the marshland back then. Before tiny fish, mealworms, and shrimp came to be, the frogs would fish in the crystal-clear gulf current, paddling their canoes tirelessly day and night. Beautiful sailfish, swordfish, and of course, tuna, all slowly fermented under the sun, turning into the most exquisite soup stock. One day, the frogs became puzzled: With so much food in the world, why must they eat the dried meat passed down from their great-grandparents? They sank their offerings into the mud, and wished upon the sacred tree in the marsh for new delicious food. Food that would melt in their mouths, food that would be absolutely fresh. So the sacred tree smoothed the earth's head, using starlight reflected in rippling water like hair, to create tiny fish, mealworms, and shrimp. Time passed this way, as the fast-paced frogs lived happily each day. But they grew more accustomed to the mud, ambushing prey in the darkness, croaking in crowds on spring nights, and scorned with mocking glances, even by their own kind.