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.