Chapter 10: Birthday

Today, while talking casually with my Frogs over some milk and biscuits, I lightheartedly brought up that this was the month of my birth, and that I was with expectation looking forward to the celebration of my Birthday with my family and friends.

Mustardseed raised his head and asked if I was discussing something relating to the concept of Time.

I replied that I was, but that this was perhaps the most delightful part of Time, seeing oneself become a Fuller Frog, alongside his friends and family, and also eating a cake, a Morsel for Men.

Mustardseed immediately became interested, and wondered at the date of his birthday, since the development of Frogs has many stages, from egg to fertilized egg to tadpole and on to froglet and Frog.  He said that perhaps this whole endeavor should be celebrated, like a religious or holy holiday, when not one small event is celebrated but instead a long and continuous period, punctuated by Morsels.

I asked them what period or season their birthday Advent took place.  Neither Frog knew.

Trying to narrow down possible seasons, I asked them if they had seen snow or ice.  Neither Frog had a concept for these.

I asked them if they knew anything at all that could be used to measure the Time that had passed since their coming into this world.

Annoyed, Mote voiced her opinion about Time, and about its absurdity, both in its anti-function on this Lily Pad and the possibility of such a thing Existing.  

After saying this, she paused, looking into my eyes and empathized, and then said that maybe a certain Fact would assist my calculation.  Glancing quickly toward and away from Mustardseed, she said that she had eaten, in her time, one hundred and thirty-two Morsels.

Mote said that she had eaten one hundred and thirty-two Morsels

Mustardseed added that he had eaten one hundred and seventeen, and two other unidentified Things, which he was not sure counted to his Total.

Baffled, I decided that I did not know when their Birthdays were, or if they should be celebrated as long periods or as single events, and decided that I should propose something to them.  I told the Frogs that since the length of their birthdays was disputable, and that the exact day of their birth was unknown, perhaps we should pick an arbitrary date and give it special meaning simply by calling it special, and celebrate their births on that certain and special day. 

Mustardseed said that it sounded a lot like Assimilation into the culture of Man, and reaffirmed that he was never going to fall into our Time-Trap.  But he said that Frogs were ever trying to Bridge The Gap, for the good of the Frog, and perhaps also for the good of other Froglike Men.  He said that he liked this idea, and asked what I could do to secure a Morsel for the Frogs that was as delicious as a cake, which sounds so much like Cricket.

And after waiting a moment, thinking, and quarter-turning, Mustardseed asked, with Frog in his eye, which day during this month should be made their Birthday.

I proposed that it should be the nineteenth, which is the same day as my Birthday.

Smartly and aptly, Mustardseed agreed.