Toad

Story of the Toad:

“Of course, I have no such cosmic origins as my neighbours here. We are entirely creatures of earth. Some say the first toad arose from a lump of dried mud. What do I know of such matters? But I do remember my change of form,” he explained, with simple, deep pride.

“Once I was only a tadpole, no more than a head, a stomach, and a tail. Then my legs grew out, and my tail fell off when it was no longer needed - no offence meant,” he added hastily as the dragon swished his own tail in warning. The toad continues: “and my bone structure changed too, until I was an unmistakable complete toad. And I remember it all! Now, you will say, ‘What of that? He changed from an insignificant tadpole to a hardy more significant toad.’  But you also changed, when you were in the egg, and you too.” Here the toad nodded at the turtle, and then at the butterfly. “And you, when you were in the pupa, surrounded by lovely silk wrapping. You each changed, in your special way. But none of you can remember it, except in dreams. *I* can recall all my changes. Sometimes it seems to me that if I tried hard enough I could even remember what it was like to be an egg. This is what we toads think about when we watch the moon, which, when it is full, is just the shape of an egg. In the evenings we sing together, again and again, ‘We changed! We changed! We changed!’”

From Book Dragon By Donn Kushner