It was a Saturday morning and the sun was shining as Mary sat in her field.

She could hear a terrible commotion coming from the duck pond. The ducks were quacking very loudly and there was a terrible croaking noise. Over where she was it was deafening.

She wondered if the poacher who had tried to steal the ducks a while ago had come back. Mary got to her feet and walked down to the pond to have a look.

When she reached there, the noise was deafening. The ducks were really angry and it appeared that they were arguing with someone, but Mary couldn’t see who.

She moved closer until she was right near the ducks.

“What on earth is the matter?” she shouted loudly. She had to, to make herself heard over the terrible din.

The ducks turned around.

“It’s them,” They quacked, pointing their wings at someone who Mary couldn’t see. “They’ve kept us awake all night and still they are making a terrible noise”.

“Who?” Mary asked, inching closer to see what it was they were talking about.

“Those frogs.” squawked the ducks irritably. Then Mary saw them, they were a family of big frogs, standing on the edge of the pond, and croaking for all their worth.

“We’re not making a din”, they chorused “We’re singing.”

“Singing”, said the ducks “It’s enough noise to hatch our eggs, it’s terrible!”

“We have to sing”, answered the frogs, “we like it and it’s what frogs do best! Well apart from hopping.” and with that they all started again, and the ducks started, squawking and quacking angrily at them once more.

The noise was booming, and Mary quickly rushed back to her apple tree where it was fairly quiet to save her ears.

This went on for two days and two nights, and by this time the ducks were livid and the frogs were getting annoyed too.

Mary sat under her tree and thought, “this cannot go on,” She thought to herself, “something has got to be done.”

But as much as she thought, she couldn’t find any answer to the problem. It was while she sat under the tree, that she heard the farmer walk by in the lane, he was talking with a friend. “It’s a real problem,” he was saying,

“we have a good scarecrow in the wheat field, but still the birds keep on eating all the crops, nothing seems to frighten them off.” They walked off talking and disappeared up the lane and into the farmhouse for a cup of tea.

Mary thought over the conversation that she had just heard.

“That could be the answer,” She said, and jumping up she ran to the pond.

“Listen, Listen,” She shouted when she reached it.

“I think I have the answer to your problem.”

The ducks and the frogs went silent, whilst Mary outlined her plan. When she had finished the ducks thought it a brilliant idea but the frogs were not so happy.

“But why not?” asked Mary.

“Because we need water”, said the frogs.

“Oh is that all?” answered Mary with a chuckle.

“That’s no problem, where the farmer has his scarecrow, there is a small stream, you would have all the water you needed, and you wouldn’t be disturbing anyone... Except the greedy birds that is!”

The frogs thought it over, and after a short while they nodded in agreement.