Max and the King of Frogs Written by Majd Abbas Illustrated by Gábor Balogh and Eszter Balogh Helen Doron English and Spanish Debrecen
Chapter 1 The Book
Max woke up to the voice of his dad. “Son. Wake up. We’re here.” He opened his eyes. The car stopped. “I just had a crazy dream, Dad”, said Max, “I was flying on a very big pig. The pig had giant wings”. His dad laughed and said “But pigs can’t fly!” “I know”, said Max, “that’s why it was a crazy dream” Max and his parents laughed, but Max got sad again when he saw the house. “This is our new home. Max”, said his mum. “It needs a little fixing, but it will be beautiful when we finish. Aren’t you excited?” “Yes, Mum”, lied Max. -2-
The truth was that he wasn’t excited. He hated the new house. He didn’t want to go to a new town. He misses his friends, his neighbours, his teachers, and even his school. He misses playing football with his best friend Jane. She was the best football player in his town, and she won against all the boys many times. He misses the beautiful mornings in summer when he and his mum went to catch butterflies in the field. He misses his room. He and Jane had so many good memories there. They played video games, they studied, they talked about what they want to be when they grow up. He misses going fishing in the lake with his dad. This new town doesn’t have a lake. This new town doesn’t have anything. -3-
He got out of the car and started helping his dad put the boxes inside. This new house was old and ugly, but they had to move for his dad’s new job. When Max opened the old wooden door, he smelled something terrible. “Ew! It smells like rotten eggs in here!” His father smiled. “Well, it’s an old house. No one lived in it for fifteen years” Max was too tired to say anything. He was sitting in that car for so long. He just wanted to sleep. When they were finished with all the boxes, they were feeling hungry, but the kitchen was too dusty. Max’s mum started coughing as she entered the kitchen. His dad quickly ran and took her outside. “You can’t go inside, sweetheart”, his dad said, “it’s bad for your health”. -4-
The sound was coming from the bookshelf. One of the books was moving! He moved slowly towards the book and opened, but all the pages were empty. “He’s here! Max is here” The sound was coming from the book! Suddenly, the book was glowing brightly. The light was too strong for Max’s eyes so he closed them. He felt he was going inside the book. And then he was falling. When he opened his eyes. He wasn’t in the old smelly, empty house, but he was falling through the open sky. The sky was bright blue, and there were clouds everywhere. He was getting closer and closer to one of the clouds, but nothing happened to him when he landed. The cloud was fluffy and soft. “Where am I?” -5-
He looked around him. Everything was so beautiful. There was a river next to him, a forest in front of him, and the ground was made of clouds. “Pssst” He heard the voice again. When he looked behind him, he saw a small orange cat wearing a pointy red hat. The cat opened its mouth, but it didn’t meow. It spoke. “Hello, Max. Welcome to The City of Clouds” Max couldn’t believe it. A talking cat! He looked up, and he saw something stranger. He saw a giant pig with giant wings. It was flying! Just like in his dream. End of Chapter 1 -6-
Chapter 2 The City Illustrated by Gábor Balogh.
When Max was five years old, he used to have crazy dreams. In his dreams, there were flying pigs. In his dreams, he walked on clouds. In his dreams, there were talking animals. His favourite was Beppo the cat. Beppo had beautiful orange fur and always wore a red, pointy hat. Beppo always told Max that they’re best friends. In his dreams, all the animals loved each other and worked to build their city with love and honesty. They never told lies. In his dreams, there was a small frog called Cyric. He always said he wanted to be the king of the city. Everyone was afraid of Cyric. But those were all dreams. Right? Right? *** -8-
“Helloooo!!” said the orange cat with the red pointy hat. “Max, it’s me, Beppo. Remember me? You and I used to be best fr-” “Where are my parents? Are they okay?” said Max. He still couldn’t believe that a cat was talking to him, that a giant pig was flying, that his dreams were real, but he was worried about his parents. What happened to them? “Don’t worry, silly. They’re fine,” said Beppo, and he touched his pointy red hat. “They’re in the human world, but this is The City of Clouds, where magical animals work together and live happily.” “I- I remember this place. I had dreams about The City of Clouds.” “Not dreams, my friend. It was all real,” said Beppo, jumping on a giant apple tree branch. “You visited us here when you were very young, and you helped us build the city.” -9-
Max thought for a second, then he remembered helping Beppo build the house and take care of the smaller animals. “I remember,” he said. “Then welcome back, my silly friend. We have missed you.” *** Max and Beppo were walking in the City. It was all magical! The hens were sleeping in their coops. They were resting under golden eggs. The turtles were racing with the rabbits to work in the field. The ducks were making food for everyone. The foxes were giving presents to puppies. The pigs were flying everyone to where they wanted to go. Everyone was helping everyone. But everywhere, there were frogs. They took the golden eggs from the hens. They took the food from the ducks. And they took the presents from the puppies. No one said anything. -10-
The frogs said, "King Cyric will make all your dreams come true, but he will need you to give him anything he wants." "What is happening here, Beppo?" said Max. "Why are they being mean to everyone?" "Shhhh. We don't talk about this when the frogs are here." Said Beppo. He took Max behind the coops and said, "Listen, Max. Do you remember Cyric, the frog who wanted to be the king of the clouds? He's the king now! He made everyone listen to him. He told us that if we made him king, he would make all our dreams come true. And he did!" Max thought about what he wanted. He wanted to go back to his old town. He wanted to see Jane again. -11-
He wanted his mum to be healthy again. He wanted to catch butterflies with her in the field. He finally said, "I'm going to see the king. I want him to make my dreams come true." He started walking to the frogs. Beppo cried, "Max, NO! You don't know what Cyric can do. It's too dangerou-" "Hey, frogs. I want to see your King. I will give him anything if he makes my dreams real." -12- End of Chapter 2
Chapter 3 The King Illustrated by Eszter Balogh
Max walked towards the giant castle with frogs on his side. The sun was almost setting, and all the animals were hiding in their homes. Beppo the orange cat followed behind them, meowing and screaming. “Max! Please don’t be silly. Cyr- I mean the King is too dangerous.” But Max didn’t listen. He was dreaming of butterfly fields in his old home. One of the frogs turned to Beppo. “Ribbit ribbit!” it said, “Stop lying to the boy. If you don’t stop, I will tell the King to take away your dreams.” Beppo stopped. He touched his pointy hat, looking scared, and continued following them quietly. When they reached the castle, Max’s jaw dropped. It was huge! The castle was in the middle of a big lake. There was water all around it, except for one stone bridge. All around the castle were big lily pads with frogs sitting on them, talking, eating, and jumping in the water. Max started walking on the bridge with the frogs and Beppo behind him. -14-
When they reached the giant gate, one of the frogs stood up and said, “Ribbit!! We brought the boy. He wants to see our King. Ribbit.” There was a moment of quiet, then the gates opened slowly, and they all went inside. Everywhere Max looked, he saw the same flag. It had a green and gold background, and in the middle, a frog was standing with a silver crown on its head. The crown had a golden yellow gem in the centre. Max turned his head to the middle of the massive room. What he saw made his heart drop. -15-
The biggest frog Max had ever seen sat on a throne the size of an elephant. He had a silver crown on his head. Just like the one on the flags. Small frogs were all around him under the throne, and Max wondered if they were very small or the King was very big. One of the frogs around the throne stood on two legs and cried, “This is King Cyric, King of the Frogs, ruler of the City of Clouds, and greatest wizard of all time.” The King didn’t open his mouth, but his smile got wider and wider, and Max could hear a voice inside his head. “Welcome back, child,” said the booming voice. “Let me see all your dreams.” The frog snapped his fingers, and Max couldn’t see anything, so he closed his eyes. -16-
Suddenly, he could smell roses and fresh grass. He could feel the summer air on his face. He could hear his mum’s voice. “Come on, silly. I caught three more than you.” When he opened his eyes, he wasn’t in the castle anymore, but in a big green field with so many butterflies. His mum was smiling at him. She wasn’t ill. He was back home. End of Chapter 3 -17-
Chapter 4 Coming Back Illustrated by Eszter Balogh
Max couldn’t believe his eyes. The King of Frogs didn’t lie! His mum was right there, looking healthy and happy, catching butterflies with her net. He spent all morning with her in the field. The breeze was playing with his hair. He had so much fun. He didn’t even notice the frog in the field. When they went back home, his mum said, “I don’t want to make lunch today, let’s order pizza and ice cream.” After lunch, his dad took him to the lake, and they were fishing for hours. “Look at all those beautiful frogs in the lake,” said his dad. “Aren’t frogs the most wonderful animals in the world?” He kept talking about them for a very long time. When they went back home, his mum said, “I don’t want to make dinner today, let’s order pizza and ice cream.” After dinner, Jane came over to his house, and they played video games all night. “Let’s play Frog Racer,” said Jane. “Aren’t frogs the most wonderful animals in the world?” She kept talking about them for a very long time. He slept on his cosy bed. He missed his pillow so so much. The pillow in his new house was terrible, but this was so much better. -19-
‘What new house?’ said a voice in his head. ‘There is no new house You have always lived here, Max You will always live here Forever.’ He was the happiest boy in the world. The next morning, his mum woke him up with butterfly nets in her hands. “Let’s go catch some butterflies,” she said. And they did. They caught butterflies all morning. When they went back home, his mum said, “I don’t ẃ̓͘a̧̨̞nt to make lunch today, let’s order pizza and ice ́̌͠ c̗̯͞r̘͛̈́e̴̗̋a͆͟͞m.” After lunch, his dad took him to the lake, and they were fishing for hours. “I think we should get a pet frog,” said his dad. “Aren’t fr͍̩̽ơ̝͠gs the most wonderful anì̘͆m̤ ̈́als in the wor͆͑̾l͐ ͑d̜̦͒?” He kept talking about them for a very long time, and Max couldn’t see the frogs standing next to the lake. When they went back home, his mum said, “I don’t want ̧̻̑ t̯̻̑o̧̦̐̿̈̂ ḿ̾͟ã̀͞ke dinner today, let͒͑͞’͇̙͐s̯̀͡ ̛̌͛ ơ̠͔ŕ̴̯d̨̤͝e̛͑̌r̯̟͠ ͇͆͑ p̧̗͆ı̝͛̓z͛͑͌z̩̞a ̐̚ and ice cream.” -20-
After dinner, Jane came over to his house, and they drew pictures all night. “Look at the frog I drew,” said Jane. “Aren’t frogs the most ẁ̛̝o̴̡͝n̼͛͑d̹̀͜ę̯́r̓͛͜f̴̨̞u̪͒͜l̞̓͡ ̴̋̐ a̴̝̻n̯̻̐í̧͔m̛̝̚a̻̞̟l̛̙͘s in the world?” She kept talking about them for a very long time, and Max couldn’t see the frogs outside his window. He slept on his cosy bed. Those bedsheets are the best in the world. The bedsheets in the old house were terrible, but those were so much better. ‘What new house?’ said a voice in his head. ‘There is no new house, Max’ “I have always lived here,” said Max. I have always lived here I will always live here Forever.” The next morning, his mum woke him up with butterfly nets in her hands. “Let’s go catch some flying frogs,” she said. And they did, -21-
And the next morning, And the next, And the next, He caught butterflies, went fishing, played soccer with Jane, ate pizza and ice cream Again And again And again And again -22-
He was getting tired. He missed school, he missed soup, and he missed his other friends. He missed his mum, dad and Jane. Yes, they were there, but all they talked about now was frogs. “Aren’t frogs the most wonderful animals in the world?” That’s what they kept saying, but he didn’t know why. Something was wrong. What was so special about frogs? Who is Cyric, and why is that name always in his head? ‘Nothing is wrong. Cyric is no one,’ said the voice in his head. ‘You shouldn’t think about those things. Go play with Jane’ -23-
One day, he woke up and saw his mum making pizza and ice cream. “Mum, can we eat something else, please?” She didn’t answer. “Mum?” He got closer to her, and he heard her coughing. “Oh no,” said Max. “Dad, I think Mum is getting sick again.” “N̡̛͕̜̝̩̯͆o̢̯̙̠̾́̑́!̘̿̾͆̏̾͝͠! I’m not sick,” she said. “Let’s go catc̙͌͠ḧ̦̾ ̯̈́͛ f ̩̤ŕ̴͑o͔̜̰g̙̱͜s… I mean butterflies” “Mum, I don’t want to catch butterflies today, I don’t want to eat pizza, and I don’t want to draw frogs anymore!!” -24-
“But why don’t you want to draw frogs?” She replied A̡͓͑r̃͒͝ě̜̽n̡̞͡’͍̿̕t ̪͛ ̯̩̽ f̰͖͠r̢̗͜ǫ̌͜g̴̜̕ş̤͑ ̹̈ t̽͛̓ḧ̩̞ë̛͜ ͕͛͒ m̩̰͑ö́̽̿s ̴̶t ̛͑ ̛̘̙ w͕̟̔o ̝̝n̹̗̏d̡̢́e̶̝̹r̢̈͛f͙̙͜u̟͕͛l̠͑͠ ̻̓̃ a̛̜̾ǹ́͘i̛͕͠m͐̓͑a̛̩̔l͑͒̓s̗̐́ ͑̾͘ ì̡̀n̻̞͓ ̧͒͠ ţ̾̿h̛͛̈e̴̯̼ ́͑́ w̞͕̪ô̯͙r̨̧͑l̩̀͂d̡̻͜?̑͌͝ À̡̛r̗͔͌e̛̛͛n̨̝͝’͕̾͠t̯̰̝ ͇͙̕ f̞̿͝r͖̽o̡͕̜g̛͛͝s̴̢̹ ̻͆͜ t͙̯͆h͖̽͌e̟͕͛ ̀͒͞ m̞̹̌ó͂s̯̈͞t̪̞̏ ̶͑ w͖͆̃o̴̪͛n̞̞̾d̴̹́ë͗͒r̡̛̕f̩͆͠ú͆͞l̢͍͓ ̓̈͠ a͆͑͝n͆̓͞ì̧̤ḿ͔̾á̦̙l̛̼̓s̡͑͠ ͙̘͠ i̙̞͑n̽̏͐ ̻͛͘ ť̡͛h̟ ͒é̛̘ ͕ ͒ ẃ̯͑o͔̦͐r̼͖͛ĺ͖͡d̴͆͠?̗̾́ A̛̗͆r̐̓͡é̓͡n̞͟͞’̋͑̚t̛̻͑͒͠ f̗͒͝r̈́ ͝ơ͑̕g̡̟̘s̀͆͑ ́̿̓ t͑̀h͆̌̚é̯͖ ̗̜̏ m̴̠͛ò̞̻s̴̽̾t̘͛͝ ͌̃͝ w̱̽̈́ò̙̱n̴̼̋d̝̞͝e̡̜͝r͑̕͠f͔̀́u̯͗̚l̟͙̕ ͘ ̾ ä́͆̀n̞̈̈́ı͒ ̢m̹̮̔a̛̘̓l̝͔͕s͕͐͛ ̴̯̽ į̞̯n̘̾̓ ̡̨͠ t̿̽̌h͐͒͛ë̴̞̮̕ ẅ̙́̂o͑̔̈ŕ̴͛l͔̯̿d̾̔?̈́̚͠” Max was scared. So scared. This was not his mother. He ran for the door of his house, and when he opened it, he froze. -25-
The street outside didn’t look normal. Everything was black and white. Like someone drew the houses. There was no one. No people, no trees. Max felt a hand grab his arm. It was his dad. When he looked at him, he didn’t have human eyes. He didn’t speak human words. He only made frog sounds. “ribbit, ribbit” -26- End of Chapter 4
Chapter 5 Cyric Illustrated by Eszter Balogh
That was not Max’s father. That was not Max’s house. That was not Max’s life. He remembered now. They had moved away from his home town. His mother was ill. He had left his friends, his field of butterflies, his old life. Now he was in a made-up world, created by the King of Frogs, by Cyric. Cyric had lied to him. *** He let go of the hand of the man who pretended to be his dad and started running into the empty space. He was so scared. What is he going to do? Where is he going to go? He ran and ran, passing white houses, white trees, white buildings, white fields. -28-
Until he saw a big green forest surrounded by hundreds and hundreds of frogs. They were all surprised. “Ribbit, ribbit! How did he escape?” He went deeper and deeper into the forset, and all the frogs started jumping after him. The trees were taller in here, and there were more and more frogs. Until he saw it again. A throne the size of an elephant, and on it sat Cyric, the giant King. -29-
“Give me back my life! Give me back my parents! ” yelled Max, tears streaming of his face. “I’m afraid I cannot do that, child,” said the King without moving his lips. “Your dreams are mine now. I will feed them to my frogs, and we will be stronger and stronger.” Max was crying now, begging the King, but Cyric was laughing. “I am the greatest wizard of all time. My magic is too strong,” he said as he stood up and leaned towards Max. Max saw that crown again. It was the symbol of the frogs’ kingdom. It must be where that magic comes from. He jumped on the King’s head and grabbed the crown. “NOOO!!” screamed the King. “Give me back my crown.” But Max didn’t listen. When he broke the crown, all the frogs looked horrified. They were jumping and ribbiting like crazy. First, the trees started disappearing one by one, then the frogs, then the throne,, then the ground under Max. There was only Max and Cyric now. There were both in a completely white room. The frog was not as big as he was before. He was just small and sad. “My powers,” said the small pathetic Cyric. “They’re gone. All I ever wanted was to be stronger than anyone else. None of the other animals liked me. I wanted to be loved.” -30-
Max did not care about what Cyric wanted. He decided that frogs are not the most wonderful animals in the world. In a blink of an eye, they were back at the castle, which was also slowly disappearing. Max had done it! He had escaped the frog’s horrible dream. -31-
Max did not care about what Cyric wanted. He decided that frogs are not the most wonderful animals in the world. Outside, Max saw all the other animals waking up from their dreams. There was no more frog police stealing everyone else’s dreams. Beppo the orange cat was there too. He ran to Max’s legs and started purring. “You did it, my silly friend! You fought against the Kin..I mean Cyric’s fake dreams,” said Beppo. “But Beppo,” said Max. “What was your dream? What did you want Cyric to give you?” “Fish, of course, my friend. But no matter how many fish I ate in my dreams. It was never enough.”ere back at the castle, which was also slowly disappearing. Max had done it! He had escaped the frog’s horrible dream. -32-
Max said goodbye to everyone in the City of Clouds, and promised them to visit them very soon to help build the city. As for Cyric and the frogs, they will live their lives outside the city, forever dreaming about things they will never have. Max rode on a giant pig, and the pig flew him high, high up in the sky, until he found the same book he got in with. He opened the book, and found himself back in his new room. He didn’t care that it smelled a little weird. He ran downstairs to see his mum and dad, his real mum and dad. They were still outside, putting some boxes inside. But there were a boy and a girl there, too. -33-
“Max! You’re up,” said his dad. “Jason and Mira here are our new neighbours. They wanted to help with the boxes and the cleaning.” The boy smiled at him. “Hey! Your father told me you like football” “I do,” said Max with a smile. Maybe it wasn’t so bad to move here. He will miss Jane and everyone else in his old town, but he shouldn’t live in his dreams like the frogs. Maybe he will call Jane tonight. They could play some online games, too. “I don’t want to make dinner today,” said his mum. “Let’s order some pizza.” “No mum, I think I will make us all some sandwiches.” End of Chapter 5 End of Max and the King of Frogs -34-
We want to say a big thank you to Majd for his creative and enthusiastic work on writing Max and the King of Frogs. And we also want to thank Gábor Balogh and Eszter Balogh for their amazing illustrations. We are grateful to all of you!