Tongue

Warning: This entry reflects a cruel even that I experienced during my early childhood. Light-Hearted individuals please beware.


I went to a private Elementary School in Taiwan, where all the students would dress up in uniforms and march every morning like little Nazi's, and bow to the Principle's power. We salute, we sang the National Anthem, then followed by the school anthem.. Then stood under the hot burning sun for at least an hour... Without any movements... We can only listen... Listen to what the Principle has to say.. Then after the Principle, it will be the Dead giving out speech... Then so on and so forth. All students were not allowed to move. We stood like China's Buried Soldiers... Sweat would flood down our necks and soaked our pure white shirts.

Every once in a while, some girls would faint from being over-heated.

Sometimes, I admire them. Students would carry them to the nurse's office... And they get to skip the morning session.

"Okay, return to your class" is like the magic rhymes that turns us stone statues back into human form. We then marched side by side to the building entrance and eventually, spread out to our first period class.

Every year, the school would organize a field trip for all students and staff, rewarding our dedicated efforts and hard work though the year. Unfortunately, the field trip was never free.

At that particular year, our field trip destination was a this fabulous 4-floors apartment building owned by the Principle. With all the money she earned from our tuition, she probably has 10 or more buildings like this in other parts of the world.

Probably I was only in the 2nd grade, I didn't remember much. But the 40 minutes bus ride felt like hours. By the time I regained my conscious, we've already arrived at the main entrance to the gigantic apartment complex.

Instructed by the teachers, we unload our bags in our assigned room... And was later called to join the rest of the student body at the backyard. - The apartment complex is building on top of a hill... So this "Backyard" was actually the rest of the hill itself.

Instructed by the Dead, we were given 1 hours of FREE time to play before re-group ourselves at the main lobby.

Down the grassy fields, the students wondered around, enjoying the Autumn freeze blown from the other side of the hill.

My memory may have failed me... But I don't recall having any close friends in my 2nd grade year. I basically just follow whoever that's around me.

20 minutes before the end of "Fun" time. The scream of a girl alarmed us.

The students who also heard the scream, gathered and came toward the source of the scream.

I joined them.

One of the boy took the lead, leading the rest of us to the girl.

She points behind a tree.

"Something jumped!"

She points to the bush that was not too far from us.

The boy picked up a stick from the ground and went toward the bush.

We followed, as usual.

He smashed the bush with the little stick.... Then...

A dark green object flew out of the bush.

We all screamed and scrambled back wards.

That was the first time I seen a frog in real life. I have read about the Frog Prince in story books numerous time... But never expect to see a real living frog. Jumping and Hopping in front of me.

The girls started to scream....

I joined them.

Apparently, a lot of us never seen a frog before.

Then the boy ran up towards the froggie and threw the stick at it.

The froggie leaped and jumped away for it's life.

The boy chased after it...The children were scared, but followed immediately.

It was like an adventure, for us city kids. We hardly gone to the wild and explore the many creatures around us.

The froggie continued to leap away as the boy got close to it.

Instead of fear, we became more curious about this creature called Frog. It's not as green as we expected it to be. At least, the frogs in the drawing book never show the frog's bumpy skin.

With the boy in lead, we chased the froggie until we reached the shallow area of the hill. Then a girl yelled..."It's time to get back. Hurry, we should go."

The students who were in the back of the ground started to run back to the Apartment Complex. Me and couple other students, who were in the front, took one last look at the froggie that was sitting near a rock... Then we started to head back.

As I was turning, from the edge of my eye, I saw the boy... The boy who was the leader... Picked up a large rock... And threw it at the froggie. After he knocked the froggie off it's place, he picked up the rock again and smashed the froggie with it.

I wasn't the only person who saw the killing... Four other students and I stood there looking at the rock... As the boy ran back along with other children.

The five of us walked toward the rock.. And saw a leg sticking out.

One of us who was brave enough, kneed down and flip the rock.

We saw the froggie, on its back, with all four legs spread out as flat as they could be.

"Dead."

Someone said.

"We're late already. Let's go."

Then three of us turned and head back.

A girl and I stood there. Looking at the dead froggie... With it's tongue sticking out.

She said to me... "I don't like frogs. They scare me. But I don't think it's right to kill it."

I turned to her, unsure of my feeling, I nodded.


It took me years to finally learn how to feel compassion toward the others.

This memory surfaced in my head this past weekend for no apparent reason. My heart beat in pain as guilty filled it with images of froggie's dead body.

Some children, can be very cruel, without knowing they are being cruel.