There were black clouds in the sky. The sight made Franky frog very happy.
“Looks like the monsoon is about to begin. How I long to go splish-splash in the rain. It will be fun!” thought Franky.
Monty monkey was sitting on a branch nearby. He had been watching Franky for some time now. “Franky, why are you looking at the sky so happily?” asked Monty Monkey.
“I’m looking at the clouds, silly. It is going to rain after all!” replied Franky.
The word ‘Rain’ made Monty shiver.
“Oh! I suffer terribly during the rains. My home in the tree rattles and shakes during a storm. I get drenched and then catch pneumonia!” exclaimed Monty.
“But with the rains comes relief from heat. Dry fields, ponds and lakes get filled with water,” said Franky.
“Urgh!” said Monty, in disgust, as he bounded off. “I don’t like the monsoon!”
Franky decided to take a stroll. Soon, he met Gally goat who was in a hurry.
“Hey, Gally!” called Franky. “Where are you off to in such a hurry?”
“Can’t you see it is going to rain?” replied Gally, irritated. “If I leave my food out in the open, it will get wet and spoil. I must get it home quickly.”
She grumbled, “And I left my clothes out to dry. If it rains, they will get wet too. All my hard work will go to waste!”
“The monsoons are not that bad, Gally,” said Franky. He explained, “Hasn’t the grass in your garden dried up? Soon, when it rains, it will turn green again and it will taste better!”
“Stop with all this nonsense about the rains, Franky. It isn’t as fun as you think!” said Gally, as she went into her house, irritated.
“Why is everyone so unhappy with the rains?” thought a puzzled Franky.
Soon, he came upon a colony of ants. They were working swiftly. There he saw his old friend, Annie ant.
“Hi Annie!” shouted Franky. “You seem terribly busy.”
Annie ant looked up. She was carrying food into her home. “Yes Franky. As you can see, it will rain soon. We need to stock food in a safe place.”
“I heard that ants work harder during the rainy season. Is that true?” questioned Franky. He felt a little bad for the ants as he imagined that they didn’t get to enjoy the wet weather.
“Yes, we do not like to waste our time. But the monsoons create new problems for us as we cannot go out in search of food. We are forced to stay home all the time,” explained Annie.
“Oh!” uttered Franky.
“There is a lot of work left to be done, Franky. I will talk to you later,” said Annie, as she disappeared into the anthill.
Franky was now bothered. “Are the rains really that troublesome? No one seems to want rain except me,” thought the little frog.
By the time he returned to his home near the pond, every inch of the sky had turned grey.
Soon, there was a gentle pitter-patter on his roof. The rains had finally arrived!
Franky hopped out of his house. He was happy to see the raindrops splatter all around. When suddenly, he said, “I like to get wet in the rain. But other animals fall sick and face problems. If my friends have problems with the rain, I will also stay inside my home.” He went back inside his home.
Franky sat by a window. He was happy watching the drops of rain trickle down. But, he did not go out.
“Franky!” He suddenly heard Monty call out to him.
“We have been looking all over for you. And you are hiding at home!” yelled Gally.
“Come out! Don’t hide inside! We all have come out to play in the first rain with you,” said Annie.
She rapped at his door. “You love the rain and yet, you are sitting inside!”
Franky was surprised! He quickly hopped out of his home.
When Franky went outside, he saw all the animals of the jungle enjoying the first rain.
Franky started saying, “For you all, I was…”
“We all know it”, interrupted Gally. “Should I tell you one thing? Monsoon is not that bad, you know. We are enjoying getting drenched.”
Franky danced happily after hearing those words. He also started enjoying the first rain.
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