The Very Quiet Cricket
One warm day
from a tiny egg a little cricket was born.
WELCOME!
Chirped a big cricket rubbing his wings together.
The little cricket wanted to answer
so he rubbed his wings together.
But nothing happened.
Not a sound.
GOOD MORNING!
Whizzed a locust spinning through the air.
The little cricket wanted to answer
so he rubbed his wings together.
But nothing happened.
Not a sound.
HELLO!
Whispered a praying mantis,
scraping its huge front legs together.
The little cricket wanted to answer,
so he rubbed his wings together.
But nothing happened.
Not a sound.
GOOD DAY!
Crunched a worm, munching its way out of an apple.
The little cricket wanted to answer,
so he rubbed his wings together.
But nothing happened.
Not a sound.
HI!
Bubbled a spittblebug, slurping in a sea of froth.
The little cricket wanted to answer,
so he rubbed his wings together.
But nothing happened.
Not a sound.
GOOD AFTERNOON!
Screeched a cicada, clinging to a branch of a tree.
The little cricket wanted to answer,
so he rubbed his wings together.
But nothing happened.
Not a sound.
HOW ARE YOU!
Hummed a bumble-bee
flying from flower to flower.
The little cricket wanted to answer,
so he rubbed his wings together.
But nothing happened.
Not a sound.
GOOD EVENING!
Whirred a dragonfly,
gliding about the water.
The little cricket wanted to answer,
so he rubbed his wings together.
But nothing happened.
Not a sound.
GOOD NIGHT!
Buzzed the mosquitoes, dancing among the stars.
The little cricket wanted to answer,
so he rubbed his wings together.
But nothing happened.
Not a sound.
A luna moth sailed quietly through the night.
And the cricket enjoyed the stillness.
As the luna moth disappeared
silently into the distance,
the cricket saw another cricket.
She, too, was a very quiet cricket.
Then
he rubbed his wings together
one more time.
And this time...
...he chirped the most beautiful sound
that she had ever heard.