Once upon a time in Iowa there lived a boy who loved bugs of all types and sizes. He loved to read about them, hunt for them and study them. In the summertime he spent hours during the day in the yard admiring bugs and bees and all things that jumped in the grass. He drew pictures and wrote journal entries; he searched for and collected them. He drew and colored legs and wings and all things bugs. One day his mother called to him early in the morning to come into the front yard. It was a cool spring morning. His mother was smiling and waiving to him to come and investigate. Coming to the front yard in his pajamas, he took one look and ran into the house to grab his nature journal, a measuring tape and a pencil. He ran down the front steps to the large wooden flower planter in the front yard. There perched on the side of the planter was the biggest praying mantis he had ever seen.
He sat starring at it from a safe distance. He had learned the hard way that not all bugs could be trusted not to bite and this one looked like it could have a BIG bite. As he knelt admiring this magnificently LARGE creature it took flight and landed on the front of his red shirt. A look of panic crossed his face. His mother calmed him. She said, ” Don’t worry you are safe. Don’t worry he wont bite you. Don’t worry you are okay.” The boy trusted his mother and calmed down and allowed the creature to climb up his belly and around his shoulder. He was so happy to have this huge bug on his shoulder.
He stood up and calmly walked over to his mother so she could snap a picture or two. His mother managed to snapped a few before all mayhem broke loose. See that giant mantis apparently did not like his picture being taken and took flight. He flew from the boys shoulder to the front of the boy’s mother’s neck. Upon landing his six inch body on the bare neck of the boy’s mother it stuck her with it’s long pokey legs and she began to dance and shout, to scream and jump, she hollered and threw her camera. She screamed and flipped her body about. When those pokey little feet rested upon the bare neck of the boy’s mother, the boy realized that his mother was not feeling calm, feeling safe or okay. She was acting out exactly as he had felt when the mantis had taken flight and landed upon him. ~ True Story
