蝌蚪的承诺

来这里很晚。不知道这个故事有没有在这里被发过。很喜欢，我也没有看过原书，也没有更多的图片来分享，但是故事真的很不错。即使文字也还是转来分享一下吧。

图片占位：http://www.webster.it/data/images/BUK/300/426/1842704265.jpg
完整書名／Tadpole's Promise
作者／Jeanne Willis
繪者／Tony Ross
相關作品／Susan Laughs、Never Too Little to Love...
出版／Red Fox

故事是這樣開始的...
有一天小蝌蚪與毛毛蟲相遇了..
當兩雙亮亮的眼睛對望時
他們墜入愛河
毛毛蟲喚小蝌蚪為『黑珍珠』
小蝌蚪暱稱全身彩色的毛毛蟲為『彩虹』
毛毛蟲問小蝌蚪:『你愛我嗎？』
小蝌蚪:『我很愛你！』
毛毛蟲:『那請你答應我，你永遠不會改變！』
小蝌蚪:『我答應你，我絕不改變！！』
當他們再度相見時
小蝌蚪長出了兩隻後腿
毛毛蟲生氣的說:『你騙我！！你答應我你絕不改變的！！』
小蝌蚪:『我很愛你，這改變不是我能控制的，相信我,我絕不想要這雙後腿，我只想要我的彩虹.. 』
毛毛蟲:『好吧！那麼這次我原諒你，可是答應我，你絕不再改變。』
小蝌蚪:『是的，我答應你，我絕不改變。』
當他們又再見面時
小蝌蚪又長出了兩隻前腳
毛毛蟲怒吼:『你又騙我了！！看看你自己 你又變了！！』
小蝌蚪:『我無法控制這改變，但是我絕不想要變成這樣，我只想要我的彩虹...』
毛毛蟲:『那我再給你最後一次機會，答應我，你不能再改變了！ 』
小蝌蚪:『我答應你，我絕不再改變了... 』
當他們又再次見面時
小蝌蚪的尾巴不見了
毛毛蟲:『我真不敢相信，你又改變了，你居然騙了我三次。』
小蝌蚪:『這真的不是我願意的，我只愛我的彩虹...』
毛毛蟲:『你再也不是我的黑珍珠了，我要離開你 再見！！』
小蝌蚪:『請你原諒我...』
毛毛蟲傷心的離開，她哭累了就捲起身體睡著了...
當她再度醒過來時，她發現樹變了，季節變了，她也變了
她長出一雙翅膀
而且她發現她依然深深愛著小蝌蚪
她決定要原諒小蝌蚪
當她在樹葉上曬乾翅膀後
就飛向小蝌蚪居住的池塘
她飛到池塘邊找不到她的黑珍珠
因此她飛到青蛙身旁，問牠：『請問，你有沒有看到我的黑... 』
珍珠兩個字還來不及說完，青蛙伸出舌頭就將蝴蝶吃掉了
之後，青蛙繼續坐在荷葉上望著樹梢
等著他的彩虹
猜著他最心愛的彩虹到哪裡去了呢？？
......

Tadpole's Promise

A story by Jeanne Willis & Tony Ross:

Where the willow meets the water a tadpole met a caterpillar. They gazed into each other's tiny eyes ... and fell in love. She was his beautiful rainbhow, and he was her shiny black pearl. "I love everything about you," said the tadpole. "I love everything about you," said the caterpillar. "Promise you'll never change." "I promise," he said.

But as sure as the weather changes, the tadpole could not keep his promise. Next time they met, he had grown two legs. "You've broken your promise," said the caterpillar. "Forgive me," begged the tadpole. "I couldn't help it. I don't want these legs ... all I want is my beautiful rainbow." "All I want is my shiny black pearl. Promise me you'll never change," said the caterpillar. "I promise," he said.

But as sure as the seasons change, the next time they met - he had grown arms. "That's twice you've broken your promise," cried the caterpillar. "Forgive me," begged the tadpole. "I could not help it. I do not want these arms ... all I want is my beautiful rainbow." "And all I want is my shiny black pearl. I will give you one last chance," said the caterpillar.

But as surely as the world changes, the tadpole could not keep his promise. The next time they met - he had no tail. "You have broken your promise three times, and now you have broken my heart," said the caterpillar. "But you are my beautiful rainbow," said the tadpole. "Yes, but you are not my shiny black pearl. Goodbye." She crawled up the willow branch, and cried herself to sleep.

One warm moonlit night, she woke up. The sky had changed, the trees had changed. Everything had changed ... except for her love for the tadpole. Even though he'd broken his promise, she decided to forgive him. She dried her wings and fluttered down to look for him. Where the willow meets the water, a frog was sitting on a lily pad.

"Excuse me," she said. "Have you seen my shiny black ..." But faster than she could say 'pearl', the frog leapt up and swallowed her, in one great gulp. And there he waits ... thinking fondly of his beautiful rainbow ... wondering where she went.
THE END.

图片占位：http://bp1.blogger.com/_xYh2XXQtVf0/RwzhwV8iaoI/AAAAAAAAAV8/sMxdLihSrgo/s1600/tadpoles_promise0.jpg