The monday night after Stephan and trienkie had left, I woke up at about two in the morning with Lelie going crazy at the front door, barking and trying to scratch a hole into the wood. I was paralyzed with fear, Jan and Nina wasn't home, and Lelie sounded as if there was something really terrifying outside.
I ran to the kitchen and put the kettle on the gas stove to boil water to use as a weapon, and throw it over anybody trying to gain entrance into my house.
Of course the trouble in South Africa is that if burglars do get into your house, chances are that if they find you inside, you will end up dead, and we have a lot of vicious elements even in our little village.I stood trembling like a jelly while waiting for my water to boil, then I poured it into a big jug, and softly creeped from room to room to see if I could see anything, but all was quiet, except for Lelie that was still hysterically barking and hopping around at the front door.
After enduring this nerve wracking situation for a few minutes I felt that if I had to stand at the door waiting for the worst to happen for much longer, I would faint from pure anxiety and stress, so I boiled the water again, and with the jug held at the ready, I unlocked the door and swung it open, knowing that the safety door would protect me from being killed instantly! There was nothing! No burglar with a shiny knife, no animal, nothing, but Lelie was just about mad with excitement, and as I told her to shut up I looked down at something brushing against my foot, just in time to see a big frog  give an emmense leap and disappear into the darkness of my bedroom. Then I noticed that on the step, looking very smug and important, sat about another five frogs, and on Lelie starting to bark excitedly at her waterbowl, I saw one of the lot floating comfortably in her drinking water! I tried to close my door, but was too late, as with huge leaps the whole lot disappeared into the house. I knew why they couldn't get in earlier, as I had put a sausage like sandbag in front of the opening to try and keep any newcomers out!
I was really puzzled, as the frogs that waited for me to open the door seemed to know just where to jump to, and by the time I went after them a few seconds later, they had all disappeared! My dilemma now was, could it be the same lot that I had driven so far away and left close to that house? I just could not believe that a troupe of frogs could make their way home, across the fields for about two kilometers!
I had a funny suspicion that this little monsters had their breeding grounds in my pond!