What is a hopper, you ask? At first
sight you might believe you were looking at an ordinary old frog; but hoppers
are extraordinary creatures. It is true that to some a hopper’s appearance
leaves something to be desired. From a hopper’s perspective there is nothing
more handsome than a pudgy, well fed belly and a decent pair of long gangly
legs.
The world would be
a much different place if hoppers resided here. For starters, the average age
would be 217. Hoppers have been known to live to see their 471st birthday
(which they consider to be yet another splendid reason for a party). Instead of
gas stations and coffee houses on every corner you would find dense bunches of
weeping willows inhabited by hoppers doing what they do best; eating, laughing
and leaping. Hoppers do love to eat; so what’s on the menu? Vegetable stew, of
course—morning, noon, and night… and anytime in between.
Hoppers love to
have fun and what better way than a good lily pad leap? Nothing against
football or baseball; the most popular sporting event would likely be lily pad
leaping. Any hopper would travel far and wide to catch Ferdinand (a very well
known and likable hopper) displaying his impeccable posture and grace in a lily
pad leaping tournament. He has been known to plunk his round mid section into
the calmest water with out making even a tiny splash. He is also a great talent
when it comes to belly flopping.
On the topic of
travel, how would a hopper get from here to there, or anywhere? In Azra’s Pith
soaring through the air on the back of a friendly empyrean wizard is the
fastest and most exciting way of getting around. Realistically speaking, I
don’t know how accommodating an owl or hawk would be to a hopper jumping on its
back and asking for a ride.
Hoppers like to be
courteous and consider it bad form to exclude anyone for any reason. That said…
there would be one exception to this rule – murks. I think the name says it
all. Murks are giant, stinky, sloppy, black birds with terrible manners. If you
invite a murk to dinner, they might take the liberty of putting you on the
menu. I imagine a “no murks allowed” law would be strictly enforced at all
times.
You may not enjoy
vegetable stew all that much, or hopping fancifully on water plants; but it
would be difficult not to be enchanted by such a friendly, loyal, fun loving
creature. You can catch Ferdinand, the fearless hopper, empyrean wizards and
even murks (though I would try to avoid those) in Azra’s Pith, a place of
beauty and wonder. Beware, something evil lurks in the shadows… I hope to see
you there!
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