Evening was falling on the forest. As all the other birds flew home and shut their eyes, the owl opened hers in the hollow of the old tree. The little birds whispered — "Asleep by day, awake by night! How strange."
Midnight. Moonlight everywhere, and all around lay still. Then the owl's big round eyes went sharp and fixed — out at the edge of the field, someone was scattering rice and stringing a thin net above it. "That's a trap."
At dawn the owl called the little birds together. "Don't go eating that rice out in the field. There's a net set over it." The robin only giggled. "All that free rice! Oh, you old night-owl — you're frightened of everything."
By noon the rice was glittering in the sun, and the robin simply couldn't hold back. "Don't go," said the sparrow. But the robin swooped straight down into the field. "Who leaves rice that tasty behind!"
Snap! The very instant her beak touched the rice, the net came dropping down over her. And the more she struggled, the worse she tangled! "Help! Somebody, help me!" High above, the other birds circled, trembling. Now what?
Just then the owl came gliding down — calm and steady. "Don't be afraid! And don't shout!" Her sharp eyes found the one weak knot in the whole net. "Everyone — peck at that knot together, all at once!" Tap… tap… and it pulled loose.
Evening came again. Shy and sorry, the robin flew over and perched beside the owl. "Forgive me, Granny Owl. You saw it true." The owl smiled gently. "Keep your eyes and your ears open, little ones."