The Tales of Fred and George: Chapter 1

 Based on stories that I told my kids

Chapter 1

In the forest lived two of the strangest friends you ever would meet. Fred was a snake, long and green and shaped like the letter ‘S’ with two dark eyes and a tongue that flickered out of his mouth. George was a turtle with a rough shell and a slow, careful walk. On some days, you would have a good reason to doubt that this snake and this turtle were friends, and you would be right.

One day, on the path that went through the trees of their forest, Fred heard people say that you could sell a turtle shell for money. He didn’t know about money, and he wasn’t sure what he needed it for, but these people seemed very impressed by it. 

“George doesn’t really need that shell.” he told himself. “He lives a very safe life. Everyone is his friend and he doesn’t walk fast enough to hurt himself, even if he trips and falls! Much better to let me have it. I think he will grow another. And I...I will give him some of this money they talk about it. A win-win situation.” So Fred created a plan.

George was munching his food near the base of a low oak tree when Fred found him.

“George.” Fred announced.

“Yes….Fred.” George answered deliberately, one syllable per chew.

“Today, you should climb this oak tree with me.” Fred spoke quickly, words tumbling out. “The view is better up there, and you can see all of the other trees and the pond and the stream. It is so beautiful.”

George considered that for several moments. “I don’t know….I’m not a climber.”

“You are a champion climber. This oak has low spreading branches. See how the trunk has fallen over, almost like a tree highway. Just right for a turtle like you. See?” Fred slithered up and down the branches to demonstrate how easy it was. “Just follow me. We will go slowly. And it is so beautiful at the top. And, oh, there are some special plants I just know that you will enjoy up there, on one of the branches. I saw them there myself just a while ago.”

George looked up skeptically, but he did want to see the pond and eat the special plants, so he cautiously put up one leg on the base of the tree and then another. Fred became excited and raced up the trunk, taking branch after branch until he rested on mere twigs. On those twigs he had placed luscious grasses and George’s favorite delicacies. When George got out that far, his weight would cause the twigs to break, he would fall to the ground and pop! His shell would come off. “No, he won’t really be hurt. That’s what the shells are for, right? To protect him from falls like that.”

So George followed Fred, turn after turn, fork after fork. “There it is!” Fred shouted excitedly, his tongue aiming at the pile of grasses. And truly, George could see it, and he could smell it, and he was growing tired with all of the exercise. His legs required careful placement to maintain his footing. Now he was as excited as a turtle could be. “Yum!” But just as he got near to the grasses, on the last twig, suddenly he lost his grip and his footing gave away, two legs on each side. Scarily, he was balanced on a branch, barely able to move for fear of falling to the ground. But that branch was sturdy, so George was stuck, but stable on that branch. “He needs to move just a few more inches, on to that twig and then it will surely break.” Fred thought to himself.

Then he tried to push, but all he did was scrape his scaly body on the rough bark of the oak tree. Then he crawled onto George’s back, and tried jumping up and down, trying to dislodge him or cause him to lose his balance. Oh, how George wobbled, and rocked until his stomach felt funny. Finally Fred crawled over George, on to the twig where the grasses rested and gripped George’s head with his tale. Then he pulled and pulled until CRACK, the twig cracked and Fred wailed “Help!” as he fell down, down down to the ground. The grasses floated down and landed on his head.

The second CRACK caused Fred to look up, only in time to see George waving his legs wildly as he too fell, but it wasn’t too bad because he landed on all that grass and on Fred. Fred had a headache, but George munched happily. “Thank you for the grass. It’s yummy!”