One bright morning, a little green mantis was out for a stroll. He had long, thin legs and big, curious eyes. He felt very brave and strong that day, marching along with his pointy front legs held high.

Suddenly, he heard a noise. Rumble, rumble, clop, clop! The ground began to shake a little. Coming down the dusty road was a huge, magnificent carriage, pulled by two strong horses. It was much, much bigger than anything the little mantis had ever seen.

"Whoa there!" thought the mantis. "This giant thing is coming right at me! I must stop it!"

So, the little mantis stood tall, right in the middle of the road. He lifted his two front legs, like a tiny boxer ready to fight. He waved them in the air, trying to look as fierce as possible. "You shall not pass!" he probably chirped in his tiny mantis voice, though no one could hear him over the carriage.

The driver of the carriage saw the little mantis. First, he was surprised. Then, he couldn't help but smile. "Look at that little fellow!" he said to himself. "He's so brave, trying to stop my big carriage with his tiny arms!"

The driver admired the mantis's spirit, even though it was a bit silly. He didn't want to hurt the brave little creature. So, he gently steered his horses a little to the side.

The carriage rumbled past, missing the mantis by a whisker.

The mantis watched it go, still holding his arms up. He probably thought he had scared it away!

The driver chuckled. "What a brave, but foolish, little bug," he thought. "It's good to be brave, but it's also important to know when something is too big to fight." And he continued on his journey, leaving the little mantis feeling very proud on the side of the road.

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