The Cardinal Who Cried Cat

On a nice sunny day in a small little town birds gathered to socialize and stretch in the big oak tree. Watching over the flock a small cardinal sat bored while the other birds had fun. Wanting some enjoyment on his watch the cardinal came up with a plan. “A cat! A cat! The cat is climbing up the tree,” yelled the cardinal.
The other birds, startled by the alarm, flew up high into the tree to where the cardinal sat.
“Where is the cat? I don’t see the cat,” questioned the other bird.

After a few moments the cardinal could not hold his laughter in any longer and let out a massive chuckle.

“Don’t do that!” yelled one of the other birds. “That is not funny!” With fury the other birds flew back down to the lower branch where they could get some sun and began to commence again.

After a while the cardinal sat still on watch in the top of the tree. Feeling the boredom began to overwhelm him again, the cardinal decided to get another laugh. With a deep breath he began to call, “A cat! A cat!”

Hearing the call, all the other birds flew up to the top of the tree again wondering where the cardinal had seen the cat. But again the cardinal waited a couple of moments then started laughing at the other birds. Irritated with the cardinal, the other birds flew down to the lower sunny branches. Laughing loud and boisterous, the cardinal sat up in the top of the tree barely able to breathe from laughing so hard.

A few moments past while the cardinal continued to laugh until he glanced down the tree to see a cat climbing up. The cardinal, scared with fear ,took a deep gasp of air and began to yell, “A cat! A cat! The cat is going to get you!” Looking up into the tree for a second, seeing that the cardinal was yelling, the others ignored the cardinal and went on talking. The cardinal flew frantically, watching the other birds not moving. As the cat moved closer to the other birds the cardinal covered his eyes and said, “Nobody believes a jokester.”

Picture from:
http://cardinal.lizella.net/cardinal.png