Chapter 16 15.cricket

The crickets sang in the grass.They sang a sad and monotonous dirge to summer. "Summer is gone," they sing. "Go, go. Summer is dying, dying." The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everyone that the good times of summer would not last forever.Even on the most beautiful day of the year—the day when summer is about to be tinged with autumn—the crickets still sing these prophecies of sorrow and change. Everyone heard the crickets singing.Avery and Fern, who were walking on the dusty road, heard the song and knew that school would start soon; the goslings heard the song and knew they would no longer be goslings; Charlotte heard the song , knowing that she didn't have much time left; Mrs. Zuckerman, who was working in the kitchen, heard the song, and a feeling of sadness immediately came from her heart. "Another summer has passed," she sighed softly; and Lurvy, who made Wilbur's crate, heard the song and knew it was time to dig potatoes in the field.

"Summer is gone," wailed the Cricket over and over. "How many days are left before the first frost?" the cricket groaned. "Good-bye-bye, Summer, by-bye-bye, by-bye-bye!" The sheep were so disturbed by the cricket's song that they knocked a hole in the fence in the pasture, and from there wandered aimlessly across the path into the field.The gander found the hole and led his family out to the orchard to eat the ripe apples that fell on the ground.The little maple tree in the wetlands heard the cricket's song, and turned bright red with anxiety. Wilbur was now the most conspicuous thing on the farm.The continual delivery of good meals and the regular flow of people visiting showed it: Wilbur was a pig anyone could be proud of.Over a hundred people praise him every day in his yard.Charlotte has already woven the web with the words "Shining" written on it.Wilbur also looks genuinely sparkly in the golden sunlight.Since the spider helped him, he has been trying to make himself better.When Charlotte's web reads "Good Pig", Wilbur tries to look like a good pig; when Charlotte's web reads "Great", Wilbur tries to make himself look great ; Now that the net says "flash", he will try his best to do everything that makes him shine.

It wasn't easy looking to shine, but Wilbur was willing to go for it.He would shake his head slightly, making his long eyelashes sparkle and quiver.Then he took another deep breath.When his audience got tired of watching it, he would jump up and do a backflip.Then the crowd will cheer loudly. "How's the pig?" Mr. Zuckerman would ask someone with pride. "That pig really shines." Some of Wilbur's friends in the barn worried that he would be proud, but he wouldn't.Wilbur was the most humble, and fame couldn't ruin him.He's still worrying about the future, because he can hardly believe that just one spider saved his life.Sometimes at night he would have nightmares about people coming to kill him with knives and guns.But that was just a dream.During the day, Wilbur always feels happy and confident.No pig had ever had such a sincere friend, and he realized that friendship is one of the happiest things in the world.Not even the cricket's song made Wilbur feel too sad.He knew he was going to the county fair soon, and he longed for the trip.If he excelled at the meeting, he might win a prize, and then Zuckerman would treat him better.

Charlotte, on the other hand, was worried about herself, but she didn't show it to others.One morning Wilbur asked her about the fair. "Will you come with me, Charlotte?" he said. "Oh, I don't know," replied Charlotte. "The day of the meeting is a bad day for me. It will be very difficult for me to have the strength to leave the house, let alone for a few days." "Why?" asked Wilbur. "Oh, I just don't want to leave my web. There's too much to do." "Come with me, please!" Wilbur begged. "I need you, Charlotte. I can't bear to go to the fair without you, so you better go."

"No," said Charlotte, "I believe I had better stay at home; I have work to do." "What's that job?" Wilbur asked. "Spawn. It's time for me to make a sac and lay eggs in it." "I didn't know you could lay eggs," said Wilbur in amazement. "Oh, of course I will," said the spider. "I'm versatile." "What do you mean multi-talented—all eggs?" asked Wilbur. "Of course not," said Charlotte. "Versatile means that I can do a lot of things with ease. That means I'm not just good at spinning webs and catching bugs, but I'm also good at laying eggs."

"Why don't you come with me to the Fair to spawn?" Wilbur pleaded. "Spawning must be fun." Charlotte tugged at her web, watching the threads swaying gloomily. "I'm afraid it's not that interesting," she said. "You don't understand the importance of spawning, Wilbur. I can't ignore my family and go to the fair with you. When I'm ready to spawn, I have to spawn, fair or not. Anyway, I don't want to You worry -- you'll lose weight. Let's make a pact: If possible, I'll go to the fair with you." "Oh, yes!" said Wilbur. "I knew you wouldn't leave me when I needed you most."

All that day Wilbur stayed in the barn, enjoying the comforts of life in the straw.Charlotte rested for a while and ate a grasshopper.She knew she couldn't help Wilbur anymore.In a few days she'll stop everything she's doing and start making a beautiful little sac to hold her eggs.