On a bright, breezy morning, high up in a leafy tree, a little cicada was having a wonderful time. "Zzzzz-bzzzz-zzzz!" he sang, his voice loud and happy. He was so busy enjoying the sunshine and sipping sweet juice from the tree, he didn't notice a thing around him.

But, hiding on a leaf just below, was a praying mantis. This mantis was long and green, and very, very still. He watched the singing cicada with his big, round eyes. "Mmm," thought the mantis, "that cicada looks like a tasty snack!" Slowly, carefully, the mantis began to creep closer, getting ready to snatch the cicada. He was thinking only about his yummy meal.

Now, up on a branch even higher, a pretty yellow bird, an oriole, was watching the mantis. The oriole had sharp eyes and a pointy beak. She saw the mantis sneaking up on the cicada. "Aha!" chirped the oriole softly to herself. "That mantis will make a perfect lunch for me!" She fluffed her feathers, ready to swoop down and grab the mantis. She was thinking only about how delicious the mantis would be.

At that very moment, a young boy was walking through the garden with his father. The boy was supposed to be looking for berries, but he was much more interested in the creatures around him. He saw the happy cicada. Then he spotted the sneaky mantis. And then, he noticed the clever oriole getting ready to catch the mantis.

The boy whispered to his father, "Look! The cicada doesn't see the mantis. The mantis doesn't see the oriole. And the oriole is so busy watching the mantis, she probably wouldn't even see me if I tried to catch her with my net!"

His father smiled. "You see, my son," he said, "sometimes when we want something very much, we forget to look around and see what else is happening. It's important to pay attention not just to what's right in front of you, but also to what might be just around the corner."

The boy nodded. He understood. It was a good lesson, learned from a singing cicada, a hungry mantis, and a watchful oriole.

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