Frog Freakout Read Free Page B

it?”
    â€œNo—yes—look, it doesn’t matter!” spluttered Josh. “It was my plan, and believe me, you have no idea how terrifying it is to be S.W.I.T.C.H.ed. Everything wants to eat you!”
    â€œYou’ve done it loads of times!” pointed out Charlie. “So it can’t be that bad.”
    â€œYes, but only because Petty tricked us into it! Mostly, anyway . . .”
    â€œExcuse me! The genius scientist is actually PRESENT, you know!” interrupted Petty. “And pardon me, but didn’t you ASK for my help this time?”
    â€œSorry, Petty . . . but you know what I mean,” said Josh.
    â€œYes . . . you’re never all that worried about how chewed we might get, are you?” added Danny, giving her a glare.
    â€œNonsense. I am always filled with great concern for you,” scoffed Petty. “Now—who’s first?”
    â€œMe! Me!” Charlie started jumping again, as if she was practicing. “Frog! I want to be a frog. Spray me!”
    â€œCharlie—I said—” began Josh.
    â€œDon’t care!” said Charlie. “S.W.I.T.C.H. me, Petty, or I’ll tell everyone your secret. Turn me into a frog, and I will NEVER breathe a word.”
    Petty was taking no chances. She pulled out a bottle with “A1” written on it in marker and sprayed it at Charlie’s head. There was just time for a thrilled squeak before Charlie vanished and a frog sat at their feet, grinning in a very delighted way.
    â€œPetty! S.W.I.T.C.H. me NOW!” commanded Josh. “You shouldn’t have let her go first! If she gets eaten, I will NEVER forgive you!”
    Three seconds later, there were two frogs on the bank. Petty waved the bottle at Danny and wiggled her eyebrows. He sighed. “Ah, go on then . . .”
    And then there were three.

“Ribbet! Ribbet! Ribbet!” yelled Charlie, leaping up and down like a bug-eyed ballerina. “WOW! Ribbet! Ribbet!”
    â€œWhy do you keep going ‘ribbet’?” said Josh, extending his impressive back legs and peering down the length of them.
    â€œI’m speaking frog!” Charlie giggled.
    â€œRight—if you say so,” said Josh. “But actually, common frogs don’t say ‘ribbet.’ We’re speaking froggish right now, but the only frog which actually goes ‘ribbet’ is the kind in Disney movies.”
    PLOP! Charlie landed with a squelch, right in front of Josh. “Well I like ribbetting! Will other frogs understand us?” she asked, her bulbous eyes shining with delight. They were yellowy goldaround the outer edges with large oval black pupils in the center.
    â€œYes, probably,” chuckled Josh. He was pretty thrilled to be a frog too. “They might freak out when they see us, though. We might still smell a bit human. They might scream. They don’t ribbet, but they can scream.”
    Danny was ready to scream at any moment. “What’s going to eat me this time, Josh?” he asked, looking around edgily. Behind him the titanic shape of Petty Potts was standing very still. Her foot, in its rubber boot, looked like the size of a car.

    â€œUmmm . . . big birds might try,” said Josh. “Mammals too. Snakes. A fox would make a quick snack of you, no problem. A cat too, maybe, although mostly they just like to play.”
    Danny shuddered, the ripples of horror visible across his mottled throat. So did Josh. He’d been “played with” by a cat before, on the day they were S.W.I.T.C.H.ed into grasshoppers. “Let’s go!” he said and leapt into the water.
    Two more sploshes and plumes of bubbles followed him in, and at once, the world was utterly different. They were floating through a dim watery universe, filled with elegantly wafting weed, spinning particles of silt, tumbling black water snails, and darting brown fish.
    â€œWoooooooooow!” marveled Charlie.