The song of frogs

It so happened that the frogs in a certain lake had been disturbing the sleep of the people around. Some women living around were discussing this as a major issue.

But it was also observed that some liked the songs of the frogs as they indicated it as a good sign of the climatic changes. Anyway the message of the likes and dislikes reached the ears of the frog community.

"We should try our best to help those who help us. These people who live around are fond of giving us food. As such we should adhere to some of their issues." Suggested the leader frog when he heard the news. He told his wife to hear her opinion. The she too agreed saying:

"Can't we at least keep our songs unsung for a few days?"

"Why can't we do that? But the bull frog over there may not agree with us" said the head frog.

"Why?" asked the wife.

"The bull frog is fond of making his songs sung as loud as possible thinking that he is the most popular frog singer, even in the dead of the night. But let us try to refrain from singing at least for one whole night." Suggested the leader frog at a meeting held to discuss the issue.

"Yes that could be done," most frog members agreed.

"You the bull frog over there, can you hold on your trembling voice just for one night for the sake of others?" Asked the head frog. The bull frog was agreeable, but raised an issue.

"Have they made any representations?" he asked.

"Several of our members have heard them complain about it," came the voice of the head frog.

"But I would rather like to clarify the issue," the bull frog said.

"It is just a matter of being silent for one day to test their feelings," said one wise frogs who agreed with the head frog.

"It is true that some of the humans like our songs, but at the same time they disagree when they hear a frog symphony, thinking that it is a severe disturbance to their sleep after a day's work in the field."

Anyway as a matter of courtesy the frog community decided to in the first place to keep silent from their songs just for one night. With the greatest difficulty the frogs refrained from singing. The head frog was quite happy.

"Are there any complaints now? I would like to know for certain what the humans feel about our silence," said the head frog.

"But it is not easy to judge what the humans say and what they believe as right and wrong," said the wise frog , "it is always good to listen to what the ladies in the human community feel about it." Then one she frog brought a message saying that some of the ladies had felt good on frogs being silent. But at the same time there is a layer of hidden element, she said.

"What exactly is the hidden area?" Asked the bull frog. Then she said "I saw two ladies chatting with each other while they were taking a bath in the lake. One seems to say that for no reason we are made to keep silent. Then the other lady laughed and said that we are a harmless community and we should be allowed to sing our songs."

"But that is not the consensus of opinion," said the bull frog ironically looking at the others.

" We cannot find the consensus of opinion in humans. Only a domestic frog can do that." Said the she frog who brought the information.

"Anyway the fact remains is that we have done something up to now. Let us continue the same for two more days." Suggested the head frog looking around. The bull frog seems to disagree but kept silent. The frog community kept silent. Then on the third day some frogs felt that they are becoming tired of their silence.

"What will the other animals in the area think about us?" asked one of the young frogs.

"Let us cultivate the concept of patience and refrain from singing just for two more days and see what the humans feel about it."

So they refrained from singing continuously for three days. On the fourth day, a bevy of frog girls were sent to listen to what the humans say about frog silence. On the fourth day the frog girls who were sensitive investigators brought an important information which went as follows:

"We were keenly listening to the voices of ladies who had come to take a bath in the lake. Their subject happened to be the frog silence for three long days. Then one of the learned ladies said that there may be a reason for the frogs to keep this silence and she commented that she had loved our songs so much that she had been sleepless for three long days, longing to hear our songs and had insisted her husband to seek a solution for the same. The other lady also said that the frogs may be sick of the humans and refrains from singing. Then there was yet another lady who seems to believe that some of our songs are better than their pop songs sung in the night by some amateur singers. So the discussion went on in that manner. We listened to their views. There was not a single person who disliked us. When in the end they decided to seek a solution to bring back our songs which may not be understood from our point of view. So we conclude as a team of researchers that they want us to listen to our songs in the night As such we propose that we resume our songs from today."

"In that case," said the head frog in a happy mood, "we should stop our silence and sing to night and recheck what they say!"

"We don't have to recheck our stance. We are born to sing our songs." Said the bull frog.

"Whether they like it or not it is our gift to sing our songs in the night," he added. From there onwards the frog songs were once again heard around the lake.

[Recreated on the inspiration from a prose poem by Khalil Gibran]