Ryan Peng

English

19/7/25

Ants

In the idyllic and rustic countryside of a far away, foreign land, where the flowers bloomed with elegant style, where the breeze danced through the treetops, where the lakes meander lazily along their course, resided a colony of ants.

Their majestic palace stood tall and proud. They had been the owners of this Elysian region since the start of time, with the mantle of matriarch passing within the royal family. They prospered peacefully, content with their beautiful and bountiful land. Yet amidst all the joy and bliss, danger to the ant’s‘ sovereignty struck.

Scouts from the colony hastily returned to the palace, reporting that strange and colossal beings had intruded into the land. A greedy, avaricious real estate company saw the golden opportunity the hill hads to offer and sought to capitalize and urbanize the mound. The ants were petrified. They had always been the king of the hill, and to have such an intimidating and menacing intruder was completely unprecedented. An order was sent out immediately for all the ants to congregate at the central atrium of the hill.

Soon after, all the ants swarmed to the atrium. Burly, haughty soldier ants sat in the back of the crowd, filled with unruliness. In the middle, the timid, miniscule worker ants huddled together, eyes filled with uncertainty and apprehension. In the center of the atrium, the matriarch was surrounded by a circle of royals and administrators, eager to hear the queen’s next order.

The queen sat upon her willow-leaf throne, eyes glaring with quiet determination, antennas swaying side to side, abdomen contracting and relaxing as she took her breaths. Tension was slowly mounting as the silence dragged on. Finally, the queen spoke.

“Our kin have gathered here to address the titan intruders. I am sure by now all of you know of the colossal trespassers that seemed to be conjured up from thin air. We know not of their intentions, and we know not of their kind. From here on, we shall tread with caution. Furthermore, there are several things to be accomplished in the wake of the giants. First, a delegation must be sent, bearing our finest gifts and most servile attitudes. A peaceful relationship is of utmost importance. Second, if the intruders prove to be violent, our dilapidated walls must be restored to protect us from an attack. The long years of content and peace have left us vulnerable. Finally, the unhatched larvae must be sent to a haven, in case we fall to their relentless attacks. If all these errands are accomplished to satisfaction, we will ensure our survival. That is all, the gathering is adjourned.”. With that, all the ants scurried back to their posts and jobs, each lost in thought and trepidation.

The following morning, a delegation was formed. A legion of ants, led by an administrator, started making their way towards the human settlement. With them, they brought the most luxurious gifts of their empire; the husk of a dead rhinoceros beetle, the sickles of a mantis, the best honey-making aphids and the head of a defeated gecko. Slowly, as the parade marched on, the human settlement came into view. A few makeshift tents were propped up in haste, and construction crews floweding into the vicinity, with honey buckets plopped sporadically around the area. In the middle of the fray stood the manager of the project. Haughty, puffed up and prideful, the manager looked down upon everyone, despite being short of stature. His rodent-like nose probed around in the air, as if searching for controversy. The ants immediately identified the human rat as the leader of the cohort, as all the other titans swarmed around him, all with servility. The ants marched towards the human, all in unison, swinging their antennas to signal friendship. However, instead of the perceivinged peacefulness, the human let out a blood curdling scream, stomping his feet and jumping comically as the thousands of ants swarmed his leather boots. The ants were taken by equal surprise and horror, as the delegation was swiftly stomped to death. Within seconds, the once mighty delegation was reduced to nominal ants. The rest scurried for cover, as the human rat pursued with malice.

After some time of in hiding, the rest of the surviving delegation were able to regroup. Terrified by the recent genocide, they hurriedly returned to the palace. As soon as they returned to the palace, the words of terror spread like wildfire. The queen was notified immediately, and another emergency gathering was issued. Once again, all the residents of the palace were summoned to the atrium. This time, fear was spreading through the ants like wildfire. Even the mightiest of soldier ants quivered in horror. The queen appeared physically unnerved, having just heard the news of her very first defeat. Her eyes seemed vacant with uncertainty, her antennas twitching unpredictably. Her voice trembled as she finally spoke. “Are the walls fortified?”, she asked. “Yes,” quivered the builder ants. “Are the larvae secured?”, she asked again. “Not yet, they are hard to move and squirm at the slightest discomfort,” answered the workers. “Then that is of utmost importance. As we feared, they bear no positive intentions, and securing our lifeline will prolong our dynasty in case we fail. Fear not, my subjects. These opponents may be formidable, but our tenacity will prevail”.