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8. I was told there would be glowing.
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A great change occurs in the calm waters of a remote pond. Her rich colors—a brilliant mix of greens and browns—a female tree frog transforms beyond the visible world. The moonlight dances across the surface of the river, providing an ethereal stage for this age-old life ceremony.
Underneath the surface, her once-thin shape grows with the promise of fresh life; every day brings her closer to the end of a road started with a single, fertilised egg. Her every movement, as she grips the submerged branches of a tall willow, is a beautiful ballet scripted by the old rhythms of nature. Her body adjusts to its new shape and the soft current comforts her.
The frog's link to the watery world increases with every week that passes; her senses tuned to the pond's currents. She enjoys the warmth of the sun's beams and absorbs the energy it will provide to her and her unborn child to get them through the difficulties ahead. The pond's ecology turns into her haven, providing food and cover during this sensitive period.
The frog's instincts intensify as the due date draws near, motivating her to hunt out the ideal location for her brood. She will painstakingly build a nest, braiding tiny strands of watery vegetation to provide her soon-to-be hatchlings a refuge. Her surprisingly deft webbed feet create a floating nursery that will shelter her priceless eggs.
When the moment at last comes, the frog will discharge her priceless load into the earth, her progeny small, wiggling tadpoles emerging. She will aggressively protect them, guiding them through the early phases of their aquatic life and fending off possible predators with unbroken mother loyalty. Every tadpole promises future generations; the water around them comes alive with movement.
The frog will carry the tadpoles onto land as they develop and sprout their first legs, therefore introducing them to the rich environment that lies beyond the edge of the pond. Here they will learn to negotiate the complex web of vegetation, hunt insects, and avoid the always lurking hazards. Their metamorphosis reflects her own path into parenthood; every stage presents fresh difficulties and successes.
The frog will be a constant defender through all, her vivid colors a lighthouse in the woods, a reminder of the resiliency and adaptation that have let her kind to flourish in both the aquatic and terrestrial worlds. Under the constant love of a mother who crosses two realms, the cycle of life carries forward the ancient wisdom of their amphibian forebears.
