Jo sprang past the familiar lily pads and landed with a soft plip in the tall meadow grass. His wide eyes took in golden wildflowers swaying in the warm breeze. A distant hum tickled his ears, and he hopped forward, deeper into the sun-dappled meadow.
His toes curled into the warm, ticklish blades. The hum grew louder — insects buzzing, wind whispering through the stems. Jo paused, ears flicking, and then hopped again, drawn deeper into the golden sea of flowers.
He spotted a narrow dry ditch ahead and gathered his legs for a mighty jump. But he undershot — SPLAT! — landing in soft, dark mud. His legs kicked uselessly. His throat tightened, and he froze, unsure what to do.
A silver blur dropped from the sky and hovered inches from his face. Wings humming like a tiny engine. It was a dragonfly. Need a guide, she chirped, circling once. Follow me! And she zipped ahead, waiting for him to catch up.
The dragonfly flitted ahead, leading him over a tangle of roots and past a patch of stinging nettles. Watch your step, she called back. Jo followed carefully, hopping from safe spot to safe spot, learning the meadow one careful leap at a time.
They reached a wide muddy ditch that seemed too far to cross. Jo crouched low and pushed hard — but his back feet slipped, and he tumbled into the soft squelching mud with a soggy plop. The dragonfly zipped down and landed on a grass blade beside his nose. I know a shortcut, she said.
She led him to a fallen reed that bridged the ditch perfectly. As Jo stepped onto it, the reed bent and swayed beneath his weight. Trust me, the dragonfly called. I'll fly ahead and you follow my shadow. Darting forward, her dark shape landed safely on the other side.
Jo took a deep breath and hopped after her shadow, one careful leap at a time. The reed swayed but held. His toes dug in, his body coiled, and then — another leap. The dark shadow waited just ahead, steady and sure, guiding him step by step.
A huge shadow swept over Jo. Heron! the dragonfly shrieked, zipping upward in a panic. Jo froze as a long sharp beak snapped shut where he had stood a second before, mud splattering his back. Without thinking, he launched himself — farther than he ever had before.
He soared through the air in a wide golden arc — farther than any jump he had ever made. For one breathless moment he was flying. Then he landed with a triumphant thump on the far bank, solid green grass beneath his feet. He had made it.
The dragonfly looped back and settled gently on the frog's shoulder. You did it, little jumper, she hummed. The frog looked back at the pond, then forward at the endless green meadow stretching ahead. With a happy little croak, he hopped toward the wildflowers, the dragonfly flying boldly beside him.
The meadow stretched out before them, wild and wonderful and full of new sounds. Jo hopped faster now, each leap carrying him farther than the last. The dragonfly zipped ahead and back, showing him the way through the golden flowers and swaying grass.