Lilyhearted

There once was a frog who lived in a pond filled with birds, fish, buzzing bugs, and of course, other frogs.

She looked like other frogs.
She hopped like other frogs.
She sang at sunset like the rest.

And yet, she always felt… different.

While most frogs only admired one kind of lily in the pond, she found beauty in all of them: the bright ones, the soft ones, the bold ones, the quiet ones. Her heart did not follow the same simple current as the others.

Some frogs whispered. Some frowned. And some simply didn’t understand.

After a while, she grew tired of being watched and wondered about, so she packed up her favorite smooth stone and moved to a new pond. This time, she decided, she would keep her heart tucked safely away.

In the new pond, she met a frog with kind eyes and a crooked little croak. He did not share her wandering affections, but he loved her deeply. For him, he delighted in her laugh, her thoughts, and the way she always paused to watch dragonflies.

When she finally told him about her heart and how it had always loved in many directions, she braced for ripples.

But he only blinked (as frogs do), gave the tiniest shrug, and said, “That’s the least unusual thing about you. I adore all your quirks. Especially the ones that make you you.”

And so the frog who loved all the lilies learned that while some ponds are small, the world is wide and there is always water deep enough for every kind of heart.