Toad Away Read Free

back bits.”
    But Limpy could feel that Goliath wasn't struggling very hard.
    After a long time, the crashing stopped and the roaring got gradually fainter.
    Limpy peered out of the hole. The bulldozers had gone. A whole row of trees was flattened.
    “Stack me!” gasped Limpy.
    It wasn't the fallen trees that took his breath away. It was what lay beyond them in the distance.
    Houses.
    Streets.
    All around the edge of a huge lake.
    “Gargling goannas!” said Dad.“It's a human suburb.”
    Limpy stared, stunned. He hadn't even known the lake was there. And he'd had no idea the humans were getting this close.
    Goliath stood up and glared at the suburb.
    “See,” he growled. “If we don't do something, the mongrels will keep advancing till they've covered the whole swamp with buildings and roads and concrete. With us buried underneath.”
    With a sinking heart and drooping warts, Limpy realized Goliath might be right. The task ahead was going to be harder than he'd thought.
    “There's only one way we can save ourselves and the swamp,” said Limpy.
    “War,” growled Goliath.
    Limpy took a deep breath and started looking around for slugs.
    “Friendship,” he said.

L impy had never been in a human front yard before.
    He didn't like it.
    They didn't even have a swamp, just a fish pond with a pink concrete bottom. Limpy couldn't see a single mud worm in it, or a single slime leech. No wonder the poor fish looked so stressed. Almost as stressed as Goliath and Charm were looking.
    “Goliath,” whispered Limpy. “Put that stick down. We're on a mission of friendship.”
    Goliath scowled. He didn't put the stick down.
    Limpy didn't dare yell at him. Not here in the middle of a human suburb in broad daylight. The front yards he and Charm and Goliath were clambering across hid them a bit, but it was still too risky. If a human in a house or a passing car heard croaking and happened to have a high-powered rifle or golf club handy, he and Charm and Goliath would be goners.
    Limpy gripped his knotted lizard bladder full of slug sauce and looked nervously up and down the street.
    “Remember,” he whispered to the others. “We're looking for the biggest house.”
    “Yeah,” said Goliath. “So we can blow it up.”
    Limpy sighed. “We're looking for the biggest house because that's where the local human leader must live,” he said. “The person we're going to give our gifts of friendship to, remember?”
    Goliath scowled again.
    “Goliath,” said Charm. “Where's your gift of friendship? The rat rissole?”
    “I've got it,” said Goliath indignantly.
    Charm looked at him sternly.
    “It's in your stomach, isn't it?” she said.
    Goliath looked guilty. “It's safe in there,” he said. “I put it there so I wouldn't drop it.”
    Charm handed Limpy her lizard bladder of maggot moisturizer, clambered up onto Goliath's shoulder, and reached into his mouth. She plunged her arm in up to her shoulder, rummaged around, and dragged out a slightly soggy rissole.
    “Ow,” said Goliath. “Your nails are sharp.”
    “It's your own fault,” said Limpy, drying the rissole on a leaf. “You can't give people presents straight out of your stomach.”
    “This whole idea's stupid,” said Goliath. “We shouldn't be giving presents to these mongrels, we should be attacking them, and that's what I'm gunna do.”
    Before Limpy could stop him, Goliath had hopped through the fence and was lumbering down the street.
    “After him,” said Charm.
    They gave chase. Goliath was already a long way ahead. Limpy tried to hop faster, but it was hopeless.
    With my crook leg, he thought desperately, and Charm weighed down with presents, we'll never catch him. And even if we do, we probably won't be able to calm him down, not even if we use a golf club.
    “Goliath!” called Limpy, as loudly as he dared.“Stop. You can't attack a whole suburb on your own.”
    “I don't think he's attacking the whole suburb,” panted Charm. “Just that