Sarah hitched her shorts up as she raced after her older sister down the garden.

“Sarah! Where are you off to now? You're not even wearing your shoes!” She heard her mother calling after her, feeling the familiar pang of annoyance that it was never Jane being yelled at.

“I'm playing!” She cried back, not even turning round to look, but instead accelerating ahead, her auburn hair bouncing across her shoulders.
She reached the bushes at the bottom of the garden, just as the fence flipped back into position. Angry that Jane hadn't waited, she tried to lever it back up so she could slip through beneath.

“Jane!” She shouted over the fence, “why do you never help me?”

“Why do you always need to be helped?” came the withering response as Sarah felt the weight of the fence lift and a hole appear under it.

“No thank you?” Jane asked, dropping it back, “hey come back,” she continued, but Sarah was off again, running around their secret garden. Over the soft grass, past the bright flower beds and towards the apple tree, her favourite spot, with branches laden with fruit and perfect for climbing.

“I wanted to show you something.” Jane told her as she came up behind, “look.”

Sarah turned to see her sister's hands open, and a frog perched on them. She looked at the mottled green skin and webbed feet, but it was the beady black eyes that she couldn't see past, they drew her in, almost like they were staring at her, into her.

“You need to kiss it,” Jane said, breaking Sarah's reverie.

“What?! Kiss it?” She asked in shock.

“Yeah, then it'll turn into your Prince.” Jane just about managed to keep the grin off her face, but Sarah still couldn't seem to look away from the frog.
Almost as if in a trance, Sarah reached across and lifted it from her sister's grasp. She could feel the cool, slimy skin and almost dropped it in surprise at its weight.

“Well what are you waiting for?” Jane asked cheekily.
Sarah looked into the frog's eyes and felt a confidence run over her, she'd show Jane, she'd show everyone. Lifting the creature up to her face she slowly brought its mouth to her lips, deaf to her sister's laughs, she felt the slippery skin and could almost taste the pond water. As she thought she felt a tingling warmth spread across it, she let go in shock, had it really worked? Sarah looked expectantly at the small creature on the grass, still with total faith, awaiting the transformation.

Jane was still laughing as the frog croaked and leapt away into the shade of the flower bed.