The Bright Side of The Cove

By Francisco Celorio

Art by Francisco Celorio

A long time ago, just down the streams of El Junque in Puerto Rico, lay a little cove nestled between sunny shores and muddy mangroves. And in this little cove lived some of the happiest creatures that you will ever meet, the Coquís. They would jump, dance, and play along the beautiful shores of their perfect home. And as nightfall approached, something magical would happen. The water would radiate with a bioluminescent gleam, and all the Coquís would gather around and cry out into the night all the things they love about their island home. But soon would come a day when the sky grew dark and the waters raced. And with this sudden storm, came someone new. They were tall, dark, and bumpy. Their very footsteps shook the ground beneath them. And when they opened their mouth, out came a terrible, rumbling bellow.

“I am Toad! This is my cove now!” croaked the beast, as it towered over the Coquís.

The Coquís all ran away in terror, except for one. This brave little Coquí knew what she was doing, and chose to keep a close eye on this new arrival. As it turns out, even with all of the cove in his power, he was unhappy. Instead of simply gloating about his new property, Toad just spat out everything he hated about it.

“This water is too murky! This mud is too sticky! The sand is too gritty! I am afraid that you all don’t know how to take care of something as important as this,” the Toad croaked. “Straighten your back! Get that mud off of yourself! You all are a disgrace!” the Toad spat, as the Coquís worked endlessly to tend to his needs.

However, soon our brave little Coquí realized something. Their new supreme leader was suffering from a strange condition; he was lonely. Every night the Coquís were quieted, while the Toad climbed to the highest point in the cove and cried out into the night. It sounded sad and painful, as if he was calling out to a long-lost part of himself.

Eventually, the nights were empty. There was no song or celebration, only Toad’s isolated cries. That is, until someone stepped up. The little Coquí made a drastic move. She climbed up, slowly approached, and sat herself down right next to the towering beast.

“What would you want?”, the Toad aggressively snapped at her. “I noticed that you were alone, no one should be alone on the island, what’s troubling you?”

“Well, long before the storm, my friend and I would frolic on the mountain by the stream, chasing and playing the whole day through. And at night, we would sit and listen to hear all of you sing. Then one day, the storm came through, taking me from her, and sending me down the stream all the way here. I’ve never been the same since. And I thought that I could call out to her, but I kept you quiet because the memories of our nights together were too painful.”, said the Toad, his voice breaking.

“Well, if you hate the cove so much, could we at least try and help you get used to it?”

From then on, Toad truly changed. He learned to live on the bright side of life and love his newfound home. But then one night, Toad decided to sing with the Coquís. The mix of joyful and somber sounds resonated and echoed throughout the island, creating what sounded like a breathtaking euphony. And to everyone’s surprise, someone answered. It was the one who Toad called out to all of those lonesome nights.

And so all of the Coquís, and Toad, climbed up the mountain and through dense rainforests to bid their new friend goodbye. The Toad, tearing up, had one final goodbye to give. To the person who never gave up on him, who saw the good in him, a true friend, the brave little Coquí.

As they climbed back down the mountain, they sang the sweet and somber song that brought them all together to a brighter side, their home.