Fable of the Starving Mantis
There was a mantis who wandered around all day brandishing its large blade, terrifying the smaller insects into fleeing for their lives. It loved to eat cicadas in the trees, causing the cicadas to live in constant fear.
One day, it overheard someone under the tree telling a story called “The Mantis Stalks the Cicada.” The story described a mantis stalking a cicada, unaware of the fierce yellow sparrow behind it.
Hearing this story, the mantis broke out in a cold sweat, realizing it could become a meal for a sparrow itself. Terrified, it no longer dared to hunt the delicious cicadas and instead turned to the grass to find earthworms to satisfy its hunger.
One day, as it found an earthworm, a large rooster appeared, glaring fiercely at it.
Fortunately, the mantis reacted swiftly, flapping its wings to escape, narrowly avoiding the rooster’s sharp beak. After this incident, it no longer dared to eat earthworms and ventured to a barren, desolate mountain.
On the barren mountain, there were various small and large caves. The mantis entered a cave, sighing in frustration. Inside the cave, it found some soft-shelled eggs and thought they would make a perfect meal. Just as it was about to bite into an egg, it saw two green, glowing eyes appear at the cave entrance.
The mantis quickly hid in a concealed corner, holding its breath and watching secretly. A venomous snake had slithered in, flicking its long tongue, looking extremely menacing. It took a long time for the snake to finally leave the cave, but the mantis was so scared it was paralyzed with fear. After resting for a while, it crawled out of the cave in a state of panic, scurrying around aimlessly.
The mantis no longer dared to search for food, and within a few days, it starved to death beside a ditch.
Thank you for reading! ” Sitestorys “
