One morning, perched on the biggest lily pad in Shapla Pond, Phulu the frog puffed out his chest and called, “Croak-croak! There isn't a single frog in this pond bigger than me!” Tuni and Bhotka glanced at each other and giggled. Phulu puffed up even more. “Why are you laughing? You'll see — one day I'll be the biggest of all!”
Suddenly — THUD… THUD… THUD! Shaking the ground, Gablu the hippo waded into the pond — huge as a hill! “Oh my, he's ENORMOUS!” cried Tuni. Bhotka whispered, “Phulu, you're the biggest, are you? Next to Gablu you're just a mustard seed!” Phulu's face went red.
Stubbornness took hold of Phulu. He sucked in a big breath — pfff! “Watch, Gablu — I can get that big too!” Gablu lowered his great head with soft eyes. “Let it be, little brother. You're a frog — and a frog is a lovely thing to be!” But Phulu just wouldn't listen.
Phulu drew in more air — whoosh! bigger… bigger… BIGGER he swelled! His belly turned into a little balloon. Frightened, Tuni called, “Stop, Phulu — don't puff any more!” But pride wouldn't let him stop — his cheeks stretched tight, his eyes bulged right out.
And guess what happened? Just then — PFFFFFT! All the air rushed out in a blink! Deflated flat, Phulu slid right off the lily pad — splat, straight into the mud! His friends came running. “Oh no! Phulu, are you okay?”
Evening fell. Sitting in the mud, Phulu wouldn't lift his face — his chest small, tears trembling in his eyes. The one who had tried so hard to look big now curled up in shame. On the pond, only a soft lap… lap… of water. No one said a word.
Then Gablu gently lowered his head and lifted Phulu up onto his broad nose. “Don't cry, little brother. Being big isn't about puffing up — just as you are, you're the very best.” In the moonlight, Phulu gave a small smile. “I'll never try to look big again, Gablu.”