From 1905-1907 American ethnographers Trey Parker and Matt Stone
lived among the Chinpokomon tribe of Southern Sri Lanka,
documenting the language, history and religion of this hitherto
hidden and unknown people.
In August of 1906, having grasped the basics of the
Chinkpokomoni language, Parker and Stone learned of a fantastic
story about a local frog that if looked at directly, had the power
to shock its observer into a catatonic state. Of course skeptic of
this local legend, Parker and Stone asked the Chinpokomoni if they
could be led to this mysterious frog so they could either debunk
this myth of a pre-industrial people, or verify its miraculous
power.
No one wanted to lead them into the jungle for fear of the frog,
but after much coaxing with bribes of the uniquely American "peanut
butter and jelly sandwhich," Parker and Stone finally convinced the
young child (whom they affectionately called Marvin) to take them
on a journey which would prove to be their last.
Parker and Stone never came back from the jungle that fateful
day of 14 August 1906, but their young guide did. After two weeks
in the jungle, the barely cogent lad stumbled back into the
village, having sunk half way towards catatonia, presumably, say
the Chinpokomoni, because the boy caught a brief glimpse of the
frog. Before he slipped away entirely, though, the boy used the
crude drawing instruments left behind by Parker and Stone and drew
this picture:
The story of this deadly frog slipped into obscurity over the
years, when in 1952 Mexican historian Enrique Cartmano, also a part
time hobbyist and scholar of the Chinpokomon people, came across
the picture drawn by the lad Marvin in a dusty volume in the
University of Mexico City library. Cartmano noticed an incredible
similarity between the frog of the Chinpokomoni legends, and the
Mexican Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides campi, a frog that
one of Hernan Cortes' men chronicled after their conquest of
Mexico. Cartmano quickly deduced, from his knowledge of Mexican
history, that the frog of Sri Lankan legend was indeed the same
Eleutherodactylus cystignathoides campi chronilced by
Cortes' crew. After leaving Mexico, en route back to Spain, Cortes
in fact dropped anchor in Sri Lanka for 6 months for supplies,
having lost their way around the Cape of Good Hope. Cartmano
planned to travel to Sri Lanka to verify his find, but sadly in
September 1952 he died from a bout of dysentry in northern
Mexico.
Now, over 50 years later, the mysterious frog is back in the
news. The press desk of the Southern California "Press Enterprise"
newspaper has fielded numerous calls the past week with claims of
mysterious dog and cat catatonia cases. This past Sunday, Mrs.
Wisearse, an investigative journalist for the PE, ventured out to
the scene of the latest report of SDC (Sudden Dog Catatonia), and I
haven't heard from her since. On Monday, 24 hours after not having
heard from her, I drove out to where she was investigating, and
found this puzzle. I'm afraid she may have caught a glimpse of the
frog, and in her dazed stupor, created this puzzle to help us find
"The Mexican Staring Frog of Southern Sri Lanka." Please, please
help me find the frog, for surely finding it will help lead to Mrs.
Wisearse's whereabouts.
VERIFY YOUR
SOLUTION
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