Pepe in Shape

Pepe the Frog had been training hard. Every morning, he’d wake up at the crack of dawn, do push-ups, squats, and even jump rope. He was in the best shape of his life, feeling as strong as a superhero. One sunny afternoon, while strolling through the forest, Pepe stumbled upon something strange. There, right in the middle of a grassy clearing, was a gigantic black sphere. It was as round as a boulder and looked incredibly heavy. Pepe stared at the sphere, scratching his head. “What is this thing doing here?” he wondered. Curiosity got the best of him. He walked up to the sphere, tapped it, and realized it was solid. Very solid. But Pepe wasn’t one to back down from a challenge. “I can lift this,” Pepe thought. After all, he had been working out for weeks! So, Pepe spat in his hands (for extra grip, of course), bent down, and wrapped his arms around the sphere. He pulled. He tugged. He groaned. The sphere didn’t move an inch. Pepe took a deep breath, “Okay, I’ve got this.” He adjusted his stance, squatted down low, and with all his might, he pulled again. This time, the sphere lifted—just a tiny bit—but it was enough to make Pepe’s eyes bulge in surprise. Encouraged, he gave it one last, powerful lift. Suddenly, Pepe lost his balance! The black sphere slipped out of his hands and started rolling down the hill with a “whoosh.” Pepe’s eyes grew wide as he chased after it, legs scrambling to keep up. The sphere rolled faster and faster, bouncing off rocks and tree stumps. Pepe was huffing and puffing, running as fast as his froggy legs could carry him. As the sphere sped towards the bottom of the hill, it crashed right into a giant pile of mud. SPLAT! The sphere was stuck. Pepe, exhausted but determined, finally caught up. Covered in sweat (and a little mud), he plopped down beside the sphere and stared at it. “Well, I guess I technically lifted it,” Pepe muttered, wiping his brow. “And I guess it’s technically in shape now too... round shape.” With a loud ribbit, Pepe burst into laughter. Even though the sphere had gotten away from him, he realized that sometimes the real victory is just in the trying—and of course, in having a good laugh at the end.