Frank and his friend Teddy were best friends. Both of them lived in a swamp, deep in the forest. It smelled fresh and full every morning. The swamp came with tall grass and cottages for every animal. He heard bugs and birds in the distance, and Frank always felt the wet and soft ground under his feet.

Hello! I'm Frank!

I'm Teddy! Frank and I 

are best friends!

Every day they would wake up, eat breakfast, walk to each other's house, and play in the swamp, trying to catch bugs with their long tongues. Frank was always the best at it, but Teddy didn’t mind; Frank was always nice about it.

Later in the day, they went for a  swim in one of the swamp’s many ponds.

Good Morning!

I love bugs!

Me too! I already had

breakfast, though.

They swam across the pond, doing fun things, like swimming with the fish, in competitions, catching bugs while swimming, etc. Frank, excited, asked, “Want to try swimming to the bottom and back up? We can race!” 

Teddy smiled and yelled, “YES! Woohoo!” Frank always won in contests like these; Teddy didn’t mind because Frank never was rude.

Woohoo! I win!

They played every day. Swimming and catching bugs and even more! However, one day, Frank started acting differently.

“Teddy, I think I’m faster than you,” Frank declared.

“Are you sure that you know how to swim?” Frank asked.

“Overall, I’m just better than you,” Frank declared again.

After Frank said that, Teddy played less and less with Frank, hoping that Frank would stop being mean because he noticed that Teddy wasn’t playing. However, it never worked. Frank still found a way to be mean.

I'm better than you!

Frank began, “Maybe you should find a new friend! I’m too amazing for you to possibly be friends with me.”

“Okay! Maybe I will find a new friend. You certainly aren’t one!” With that, Teddy stormed away to his house.

Frank wasn’t quite sure what had happened; he was only teasing Teddy. The next day, Frank woke up, sad. He ate breakfast slowly and sadly. The swamp smelled cold and dry. Instead of going to Teddy’s house, Frank sat in his bedroom, unsure of himself.

Teddy?? Why did you leave? 

Was I mean?

Frank’s dad walked over, frowning, “Hey, buddy! Is Teddy sick today?”

Frank replied, “No. For some reason Teddy doesn’t like me anymore. I was teasing him yesterday, but I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings. All I said was that I was better than him, and I was amazing and…”

Frank’s dad looked surprised, “You really said that, Frank?”

Frank nodded.