Loudest Cricket Ever

899

By Kathy Miele
No matter where you stood in the house you could hear the shrill call of the cricket. My son Alex and I met at the top of the basement stairs both of us gazing down at the finished game room.
The noise was unbelievable.
“It’s like he has a megaphone,” I complained.
Alex had to laugh. “It is pretty loud.” He agreed.
“Do you want to come downstairs with me and we’ll hunt for him together?”
“As much fun as that sounds, I think I’ll pass.” Alex smiled at me before he turned around and went back to his room.
So it was all up to me. I’m really not a big bug lover but I like the sound of crickets. Of course, I like the sound of them when they’re outside in the distance singing together on a crisp fall night. But as I made my way down the stairs he was getting louder and more persistent. It was like listening to the smoke detector going off. The worst part was he was so loud, I couldn’t tell exactly from which part of the room he was yelling.
So, like any good bug hunter, I began crawling around along the walls, peeking under bookcases and chairs. I was almost around the entire room when I finally spotted him. He was wedged in the corner waiting to be saved. At least that’s what I was planning to do for him. This wasn’t a spider that would get an up close look at the tissue in my hand, as it wrapped around his body, before I rushed to the bathroom to flush the disgusting thing down the toilet. So, this little guy was going to be gently scooped up, cupped in the palms of my hands and lovingly brought out to the back patio to meet up with his friends. At least that’s what I was planning on doing.
He, on the other hand, seemed to have other plans as I crawled over to him. He hopped right at my face, scaring me half to death. I swatted him back down to the carpet where he lay there stunned by what had just happened to him. I quickly scooped him up and took him to the back door, gently placing him on the patio and watching to see if he’d scamper off to his friends. It took a few moments but finally he began moving again and quickly moved off the patio and into the grass. I was feeling pretty good about myself as I went to Alex’s bedroom door. “He’s outside now with all his cricket friends,” I announced.
“Not all of his friends,” Alex answered.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I was just in the bathroom and there’s one in there too,” Alex said.
“Are you kidding?”
Alex didn’t even have to answer because it was at that very moment that the second loudest cricket began to sing.