Another Friend in Amphibia

Chapter 18: Annual Crop Convention

A lone orange frog sat on a giant snail. His name was Hopediah Plantar. He had been traveling for a whole day, but he had finally reached his destination. The town called Lily Paddington. The old frog guided Bessie to a parking spot and backed into the area with Bessie the giant snail honking like a truck in reverse.

"Hello sir..." someone said, startling the old frog.

Hopediah looked around and noticed a large figure wearing a red cloak that covered much of his body and face. "Oh, are you talking to me?" Hopediah asked, surprised the cloaked figure managed to sneak up on him.

"Yes, you're Hopediah Plantar right?" the cloaked figure asked.

"Yep, you know me?" Hopediah asked.

"Let's just say your reputation precedes you." the cloaked figure said.

"Really?" Hopediah Plantar narrowed his eyes, inspecting him. He was a little suspicious of the figure, but he was probably just a newcomer. "I don't think I've ever seen you at any of the crop conventions before. You need a guide?"

"Yeah, this is my first time here. I think having a guide will be great." the figure said.

"Okay, give me a second." Hopediah grabbed a large sack but was struggling to get it out.

"Here, let me help you with that Mr. Hopediah." the figure grabbed the sack and lifted it with minimal effort. Whoever this guy was, he was freaky strong.

"Thanks, now follow me. I'll show you around. Also, I would prefer if you called me Hop Pop. It's much easier to remember." the old orange frog said.

"This place looks amazing." the cloaked figure said.

"Yep, every year farmers from all across the valley come here to showcase new innovations and techniques that could help us with our own farms." Hop Pop explained.

"Wait, farmers from all the towns come here?" the figure asked getting a little nervous.

"Yeah, is that a problem?" Hop Pop asked.

The figure was starting to get nervous. "I've been traveling across the valley, and I may have made a name for myself. Certainly not in the way that you want."

Hop Pop looked him up and down. He voluntarily helped even though he didn't have to. Although he was a little creepy with the cloak, he didn't seem like the kind of guy to cause trouble. "Really? Well, you seem like a good guy. Don't think you have anything to worry about."

"So, what's in this bag?" the cloaked figure asked.

"Just some seeds for my friend Gabe." Hop Pop said. The two walked towards a stand but for some reason nobody was there. "Huh, I thought he would be here. Maybe he's just late. Just leave it next to the stand."

The figure placed the large sack right behind the stand. Gabe would notice it the second he comes to take his place. "So, anything going on? I've been traveling all over the valley but I'm still pretty new here. Is there anything you can tell me?"

"The valley can be quite peaceful, but lately it feels like there is a wacky adventure every week. It got so bad I had to leave my kids at a daycare before coming here." Hop Pop answered.

"That does sound pretty bad. I'm mostly surprised there aren't any authorities to take care of these problems." the cloaked figure said. "Anything else happening?"

"Well, it's almost time to vote for Wartwood's frog of the year."

"What's frog of the year?"

"Wow, you really aren't from around here. Once a year, every town in the valley votes on someone who best embodies the values of the town they reside in. Since I'm from Wartwood, we're going to vote on the person who best embodies the values of Wartwood." Hop Pop explained.