Fred and Lydia Leave Miss Spider’s House
One Halloween night, Lydia, a ladybug, and her friend, Frederick the frog, were visiting with Miss Spider. It was getting late and it was time to go home. As they were leaving, Miss Spider said, “Wait, I have something for you,” and went to her cupboard that was full of magic potions that she had formulated over the years. Miss Spider loved to dabble in magic but she only used her magic for doing good such as helping her friends. She reached for a bottle and said, “This is precisely the one that will offer you protection as you walk home tonight. Many say the bog is haunted on Halloween night and I just want to make sure that you get home, safely.”
“For any spook that may appear, remember to say, ‘away with you now,’ as you sprinkle this magic dust.”
Fred and Lydia Leave Miss Spider’s House
They came from Miss Spider’s,
who had given them a brew
and some magical words too…
“Here, take this,
for it will protect you on your way
and will keep the evil spirits away.”
On this Halloween night,
Fred and Lydia
tiptoed past the graveyard
when they saw quite a sight.
Why, the little frog was so frightened
he turned white.
There was an eerie glow
in a cloud of fog
suspended above the bog.
They thought they heard some faint screams…
Fred had heard that the bog became
haunted on Halloween.
It was the ghost of Blackbeard the pirate
with skull and crossbone…
Fred said, “You are but only a ghostly apparition.”
The pirate laughed at the little frog
and said,
“I like your intuition!”
“I scared off all your neighbors
who look like you,”
and then he laughed with an echo
that sent chills down Fred’s back,
“a sight I truly savored…
it was fun to see them quaver.”
“You look as if you lost your pallor,”
then Fred tried to muster his valor,
“I’m not afraid of thee,”
but said in a voice that was shrill.
Despite his fear, he said,
“You are just a ghost, you see…”
“But what are you?
Just a frog!”
Then Fred replied,
“Ah, but you underestimate me!
I shall show you who’s afraid,
you are a bully and a braggart.
This cane and cape have magic!”
And then a shape he drew,
as Lydia then took her cue,
and into the air she flew!
She said a magical incantation
as she sprinkled the magic dust,
and then from the mist
came a monstrous incarnation…
A fire-breathing dragon
that even the fiercest pirate
would have feared,
who said,
“With my breath,
I shall sear your whiskers
if you don’t leave
and never come back here!”
Then the last thing they heard was,
“Shiver me timbers, I’m out of here!”
Yes, the pirate who was most feared
had been defeated,
and many times this story has been repeated,
as I say, with a sigh of relief,
by a ladybug and a frog
with the heart of a lion.
~ Lora Hollings
Insight from this poem
This poem unfolds like a miniature Halloween fairytale, blending whimsy, courage, and enchantment into a narrative that feels both playful and mythic. Through Fred the frog and Lydia the ladybug, the poem transforms familiar fears—darkness, fog, ghosts, and haunted places—into opportunities for bravery, imagination, and growth. What begins as nervous wonder becomes empowerment as magic, friendship, and cleverness triumph over intimidation and bluster. The pirate ghost represents fear itself: loud, theatrical, and boastful, yet ultimately hollow when confronted with courage and unity. The dragon, summoned through spell and belief, becomes a symbol of inner strength rather than destruction—an embodiment of confidence made visible. Beneath the fantasy, the poem celebrates the power of imagination to reshape reality and the importance of standing together in the face of fear. It’s a story of transformation, where small characters achieve great bravery, reminding readers that courage is not about size or strength, but about heart, loyalty, and the magic we carry within ourselves.
