Once, there was a girl with a heart of gold, and locks the same color
She lived in a tower, but a tree it was not taller.
Her name was Belinda, and she had quite a strange pet
They were the best of friends, and couldn’t stand to be apart for even a sec.
Her pet was no dog, nor cat nor fish.
It was a toad, and as fat as a dish.
Her toad resembled a mottled river stone
And in the sunlight, oh how it shone!
The life of this girl was happy as could be
As no one could dislike someone that lovely.
Until, that is, a shriveled old witch hobbled by
Her heart was merciless and black, as something had gone terribly awry.
For it was withered away into a tiny little clump
Beating rarely with a pitiful ga-dunk.
She lived in a very sad-looking hovel
That happened to be right off the River Grovel.
But right in the bottom of the east facing wall of her shack
There was a hole (about the size of a toad) that was quite some gap.
Looking high and low for a rock the right size,
Soon enough, she spied a “stone” by a creek and could hardly believe her eyes.
It looked like it would perfectly fit and the witch grabbed it with glee
And at that moment nobody was as happy as she.
Belinda saw from afar but she was no runner
Wailing to no avail, her face looked no longer as bright as summer.
Belinda went immediately off chasing after the fiend.
Tears fell down her face, causing her to descend-
Down a slippery slope, littered with thorns and trees.
Until she stopped at a stream, finally able to nurse her skinned knees
Oh Belinda- How she sobbed!
She wept for her toad, and for the flesh that her knees were robbed.
But her one-thousandth tear did something weird, by the doing of some ancient creed
It sparkled once, twice, and then formed a miniscule bead.
The droplets on her attire sped to that tear
Twisting round and round and forming a dent that became an ear.
Some fins sprouted out and the tear became orange, tangy and bright
It was a goldfish, that was plain as clear sight.
If that wasn’t enough to startle Belinda into stopping her crying
The deep voice coming out of the fish was enough to make her feel like dying.
“Little girl, oh I see, I know why I was called for.
For your heart is pure and intentions immaculate, and crying so much is reason for sure.
Now here’s what I’ll do-just listen now- I’ll give you one wish.”
Belinda responded, her voice now firm, “I think that you should bring me to that awful witch.”
“Very well, okay, alright,” the fish replied.
And with a sizzle and a fizzle they were off on a wild ride.
Zooming through space, they soon arrived at the witches abode
Belinda knew with certainty that she was about to get her toad.
Quickly, Belinda scooped up some flowers and wrapped them up with a spare piece of twine
For, without a gift, any host is sure to whine.
Belinda walked right up to that door with bouquet in hand
Already imagining how nice it would be to be back in her own land.
But she was befuddled when the witch seemed quite nice
Little did she know, the witch was imagining her on a platter next to a cold drink with ice.
Right as the girl tried to open her mouth
Her marine mentor managed to bring time to a… stop.
“Kill her with kindness,” he whispered, and then was off.
Before the witch could get around to the typical shenanigans-
Like the tried-and-true “Would you mind cleaning my oven, dear” as if the child was as smart as a mannequin-
The fair-haired lass gave her a toothy grin
And began flooding the witch with flattery because of the fossilized heart she must win.
The witch could not help but smile at the enthusiasm Belinda showed
She could not cook at all, so when Belinda offered to make dinner she was unopposed.
Within minutes, fragrant scents issued from the kitchen
Belinda soon walked out with a steaming dish of fried vegetables and roast chicken.
When Belinda asked if she could stay the night if she cooked a hot breakfast
And, well, a piping piece of French toast who could resist?
After a satisfying meal, Belinda edged toward a chef’s knife
She did what she had to do and left with her toad before the fall of night.