Once upon a time, as the sun began to rise the bee’s start buzzing, the ants start scavenging, and the crickets start chirping. But there was one cricket who wasn’t chirping. His name is Silent Cricket, not because he’s quiet but because as a child he was trampled and it took him a while to start chirping. Until one day he finally started chirping and since there hasn’t been a quiet moment with Silent Cricket.

Silent Cricket is off with his best friend Snail, the slug. Snail is the plumpest yet muscular slug you will ever meet. They were talking about their latest adventures of pranking other slugs. All of the sudden the acorn bell went off. All of the ground animals scurried to the nearest hiding place. Silent Cricket however was too busy rambling on about his pranks he didn’t hear the acorn bell until it was too late.

The Great Bird swooped down and captured Silent Cricket. His talons were so sharp they almost pierced Silent Crickets little exoskeleton. “Let me go! Please! Don’t eat me.” he screamed. He figured begging would be no help and he started devising a plan to survive. Until he realized that if the Great Bird was going to eat him, he would’ve by now. “Wait a second…” he mumbled. “Your greatness, where are you taking me?” questioned the cricket, who now had a plan.

“To the holy nest.” This surprised Silent Cricket. ‘Why is he taking me there?’ The cricket thought. “You will be my son’s meal. Since he is a disgrace and cannot catch his own food.” As soon as he said that Silent Cricket had the most amazing idea.

“What if I could guarantee you that by sparing my life I can make sure your son has an endless supply of slugs? I know the perfect place down by my mushroom where thousands of slugs lurk.” The cricket spoke calmly and persuasively.

The Great Bird’s flight slowed. It was quite obvious that he was considering this. “You can guarantee this? You aren’t just trying to escape your ultimate fate?”

Being the sly cricket he is he took a moment to come up with the most convincing answer possible. “I swear on my brown speckle. In fact I can prove to you that I know where there is a large herd of them is at this very second.” His words started to be overcome by chirping because he was so nervous.

“I will spare you but you must meet me here tomorrow at sunrise to show my son exactly where these slugs are, otherwise you’re my next meal.” With these startling words Silent Cricket jumped home as fast as his little legs could possible carry him. He told Snail that he did something he was ashamed of and he was scared for his safety.

“Whatever you do, do not leave your home Snail. Promise?” Snail obeyed him out of fright, but wondered what could possibly be this serious. Snail never left his home. In fact for the rest of the day he carried his home around on his back.

The next morning Silent Cricket snuck out before sunrise to go meet Great Bird and his not so great son. And sure enough as soon as the sun started peaking above the horizon Great Bird and his son arrived. As soon as Silent Cricket laid eyes on the Great Bird’s son he understood why he was a disgrace. He was chubby and his wings looked disproportionate to his body.

“Alright, show my son where the food is and make sure he is well fed. You will meet us here every morning until the day you die to instruct my son of where the plumpest most muscular slugs are, since those are his favorite. Be good son and I will see you in the nest in an hour.” And with that the Great Bird was gone and only his son and Silent Cricket remained.

The cricket showed Great Bird’s son to the place where all the old slugs were so that none of Snails friends would be eaten. But this plan shortly turned a wry because Snail was out visiting his grandma. As soon as Great Bird’s son laid eyes on Snail everything went downhill. He became frustrated because he couldn’t eat the slug because his home was on his back and was too hard for the poor bird to crack. With one last attempt he tries to eat Snail and fails. He sends out a blaring cry and within seconds Great Bird appears.

“What’s the matter my son?” Great Bird says sternly.

“Daddy, I want this slug right here but he won’t take his home off his back.” This was shocking to Great Bird because slugs did not carry their homes on their back. Something wasn’t right and he immediately brought it up with Silent Cricket. Silent Cricket denied knowing anything about it; and in a fit of anger the Great Bird ate Silent Cricket then declared that all of Snails descendants would be born with their homes on their backs and never allowed to leave. To this day all of Snails relatives still carry their homes on their backs and have pitifully taken on the name of snails rather than slugs.