Finley the Frog's Big Plan

Ribbit-tastic greetings! My name is Finley, and I'm a Mekong Floppy Frog! That's right, my feet are extra big and webbed, perfect for hopping around our amazing home: the Mekong Delta! It's a giant, watery playground where the mighty Mekong River meets the sea, right here in Vietnam. Lately though, things haven't felt quite right in our delta. The water doesn't always flow the way it used to, and some of my friends have been a little down in the dumps.

Our delta is super special! It's like a giant garden, but instead of growing just flowers and veggies, we grow all sorts of amazing plants and are home to more creatures than you can count on all your toes and fingers! Did you know that the Mekong Delta is so fertile, it helps feed millions of people? And it's not just us frogs who live here. I have lots of wonderful friends! There's my sleek friend, Indi the Irrawaddy Dolphin; my sharp-eyed friend, King the Kingfisher; my whiskered friend, Whisker the Catfish; my land-and-water buddy, Skip the Mudskipper; my agile friend, Miko the Monkey; and my strong friend, Ellie the Elephant! We're all starting to notice some changes around our home, and it's a little worrying.

The other day, I saw Indi near her favorite spot in the deeper channel. - Ribbit, ribbit, hello Indi! I called out. But Indi seemed troubled. - Oh, hi Finley, she said, her voice a series of worried clicks and whistles. - I tried to swim further upstream, but the water flow feels different, and I couldn't go as far as I usually do. It's like something is blocking the way, and the river doesn't feel as open as it used to be.

Later, I saw King perched on a low-hanging branch, looking quite frustrated. - Hey King, what are you looking for? I asked. King sighed. - It's getting harder to spot fish, Finley, he chirped sadly. - Those noisy machines stir up so much mud. It makes it difficult to see my dinner!

Then, I saw Whisker near the muddy bottom. - Hello Whisker, anything interesting down there? I asked. Whisker’s whiskers twitched worriedly. - The riverbed is changing, Finley, he rumbled. - There are big holes where there used to be sand, and it's harder to find my favorite hiding spots. The bottom feels…empty.

I hopped over to Skip's usual mudflat, where he loved to wiggle around. - Skip! Skip, are you there? I called out. But Skip wasn't there. Instead, stuck in the muddy ground was a small, soggy sign made from a large leaf. On it, someone had scratched some words with a sharp twig: "Had to move. Too dangerous now." My heart sank. Skip had to leave his home because of what was happening to the riverbank. It made my webbed feet feel heavy and sad.

Swinging through the trees, Miko looked down with concern. - Hey Finley! he chattered. - I've been seeing those big, noisy machines from up here too. They're taking so much sand! Some of the trees near the riverbank are even starting to fall because the land is disappearing.

And even Ellie seemed worried when she came to the river to drink. She dipped her trunk into the water, then shook her head. - The water feels different, little frog, she trumpeted softly. - It's not as clean as it used to be, and the banks are getting steeper and more slippery. It's harder for me to get down to the water.

Ribbit? What's that noisy sound? I croaked, looking around. Suddenly, a huge, clunky machine appeared around the river bend. It was enormous and had a giant scoop that was digging right into the riverbed! - That's a sand dredger! Miko chattered from the trees, pointing with his little hand. - They're here again! The dredger's giant scoop plunged into the river, sucking up tons of sand.

We all gathered near the edge of the mangroves, our eyes fixed on the noisy dredger in the river. - We have to stop them, Indi clicked and whistled, her voice echoing with determination. - But how can we? I croaked, feeling small against the giant machine. King swooped down from a branch. - From up high, I can see some parts that look important – maybe some levers or buttons inside the open areas! Whisker rumbled from the muddy bottom. - And there are big tubes sucking up the sand. Maybe we can block them?

Miko chattered excitedly from the trees. - I can reach high places! Maybe I can drop something heavy on them! Ellie gently nudged a fallen log with her trunk. - I am strong. If we can get them onto the land, I can make sure they don't work anymore. We put our heads together, and a daring plan began to take shape.

Okay, I said, feeling a bit more confident. - Here's what we'll do. King, you fly high and watch for any openings or important-looking parts on the dredgers. If you see something, give us a signal with a special loud call! King nodded sharply and took flight. - I'll find something! he chirped.

Indi, I continued, - can you use your strong tail to try and bump into the parts of the dredger that are underwater? Maybe you can knock something loose? Indi swam powerfully in the water. - I'll give it my best push! she whistled.

Whisker, I said, - can you swim up to those big tubes that are sucking up the sand and try to fill them with mud and anything else you can find? Whisker’s whiskers twitched with determination. - I'll make sure they can't suck up any more sand! he rumbled, disappearing into the murky depths.

Miko, I called up to the trees, - can you find some of the biggest, heaviest fruits or branches you can carry and drop them onto the machines from above? Miko chattered excitedly and swung off into the branches. - I'll give them a good bonk! he called back.

And me? I asked. - What can I do while all of this is happening? Ellie gently nudged me with her trunk. - Little frog, you are small and quick. Can you hop onto the machines and maybe cover up any lights or small openings you see with mud or leaves? It might confuse them. - I can do that! I croaked, feeling important.

We waited for King's signal. Soon, we heard a series of loud, sharp calls. That was it! Our plan was starting.

Indi swam swiftly and powerfully towards the nearest dredger. With a mighty flick of her tail, she slammed into one of the supports holding the scoop. The whole machine shuddered.

Whisker, using his sensitive whiskers to guide him in the muddy water, found the large intake tube. He started pushing mud, rocks, and tangled weeds into the opening, trying to block it up.

From the trees above, we heard loud thumps as Miko dropped heavy coconuts and thick branches onto the top of the dredgers. One even landed with a loud clang near a set of levers.

I hopped onto the side of the nearest dredger and quickly started smearing mud over a blinking light and stuffing leaves into a small hole I found.

The dredgers started to make strange noises and began to wobble. One of the scoops stopped moving, and another started to tilt.

Then, with a mighty trumpeting sound, Ellie moved towards the wobbling dredger that was closest to the riverbank. She carefully positioned herself behind it and, with a powerful push of her strong legs and trunk, she shoved the heavy machine up onto the muddy land! The dredger lurched and came to a stop, its gears grinding.

The other dredgers, now malfunctioning and unbalanced, were easier for Ellie to push. One by one, with powerful heaves, she pushed them all onto the land, far away from the river. The machines lay there, silent and still. We had done it!

A cheer went up from all of us! I let out the loudest Ribbit! Ribbit! of joy. Indi leaped out of the water with a happy splash. King swooped down and circled above us, letting out a triumphant call. Whisker wiggled with excitement in the shallows. Miko chattered and swung from branch to branch, throwing down celebratory flowers he had found. And Ellie let out a happy trumpet, gently nudging each of us with her trunk. We had done it! We had stopped the noisy machines from taking our precious sand. Our home was safe, at least for now.

But we knew there was still work to be done. Our friend Skip had lost his home. - We need to build Skip a new mudflat! I declared. Everyone agreed. Ellie used her strong legs to push piles of soft mud towards a sunny spot near the mangroves. Miko gathered fallen branches and leaves to make a cozy shelter. Whisker helped to smooth out the mud with his tail. Indi brought soft water plants to make it comfortable. And King flew back and forth, bringing shiny pebbles to decorate the new home.

Soon, a wonderful new mudflat was ready! It was even better than Skip's old one, with plenty of space to hop and wiggle. We all waited excitedly, hoping our friend would return.

And then, we saw him! Skip the Mudskipper came hopping back, looking a little nervous at first. But when he saw our new mudflat, his eyes lit up! He wiggled with joy and hopped right onto his new home, exploring every nook and cranny. - Thank you, thank you! Skip exclaimed, his little mudskipper voice full of happiness. - It's perfect! We all smiled. Our home was still facing challenges, but we knew that as long as we worked together, we could overcome anything and take care of our amazing Mekong Delta.