The weak ant
James looked outside the high windows of his bedroom in the massive anthill. He could see the walls and buildings of the anthill his family had lived for generations.
Everything was made of fine sand, the walls, building, everything. The legend says that a thousand years ago, seven great families had come together to build their home here and it had been expanded by their descendants and now it was a massive anthill that housed thousands of ants.
‘It is time for breakfast’ His mother, Faith called from the kitchen. James went to her. On the table in the living room was sweet- scenting
fresh bread and cheese.
‘Thanks, mom’ he said as he sat down to eat. The cool wind blew across them, freezing them.
He gulped down his food quickly.
‘Bye, mom’ He kissed her before he left.
He went to the west of the anthill and took his place in the long line of ants. The gong sounded and the gates were pulled open and the groups headed out.
Work Work Work
It was a normal day of searching for and gathering food. In the midst of some giant trees, James group followed the scent to find big hunks of left over fried fish. Everyone began to carry crumbs to carry home.
James carried a large crumb of fish and joined those lining up to go home.
Doon Doon
It was the sound of massive feet. James shook with terror.
It was a human. They were giant creatures that could crush a ant with one of their little toes. It was considered a disaster to run into one.
The human bent his giant head downwards and raised his hands. All the ants shrieked in terror.
‘Everyone run’ cried an ant. Everyone ran as fast as they could. As Tommy turned to flee, he tripped and fell, pushing other ants as well. A small crowd of ants fell around him.
The giant hand was coming towards them then suddenly a giant drop of water fell.
The giant stood up suddenly and rushed away. Everyone breathed in relief.
‘You almost got me killed ’ Johnny the big ant that had been standing near James yelled.
The other ants that had fallen gazed at him with furious eyes. ‘Don’t ever come out with us again’ They yelled in fury.
The long journey home was made in silence. The fish was dropped in the stores of the anthill and James was dismissed from the team.
James was lost in sad thoughts as he made his way home. It would made the fourth time he had been dismissed from a group. The problem was, he was much weaker than the other ants and so got into all sorts of accidents.
‘James’ a voice cried. ‘James’
It was his best friend, a good-looking female ant, Becca.
‘Your mom has taken ill’ She shouted as she reached him. ‘Hurry’
‘What!’ He cried in alarm.
They ran all the way to the hospital block.
‘Please tell me where my mother?’ he begged an attendant.
After taking names, the attendant led him to a room off the corridor that smelled of wet sand.
They both rushed to his mother bedside.
‘Mother’ James took her arm, his eyes moist. ‘Are you all right?’
Faith forced a smile. ‘I am okay, just some pain in my chest’
The attendant spoke. ‘You can’t stay long, just five munities, she needs her rest’

Four munities later, they stepped out of his mother hospital room. James rested against the wall.
Becca laid a hand on his shoulder. ‘Cheer up, I am sure your mom would be fine’
James signed. ‘I hope so’
‘We better get moving, don’t want to be late for work tomorrow’
James nodded. He would have to look for a new job tomorrow.



Early the next morning, he walked down to
the job agency. There he walked in for the fifth time in less than a year.
‘You are applying for a job again’ he was asked at the reception.
‘Yes’ He nodded.
There were three major male groups, the food gatherers, the anthill building and maintainer group, and the watchers (those who protected the anthill from danger).
James had been in four food gathering teams so far.
He was sent into an office.
The official was blunt. ‘You have failed in four food gathering groups so far, so I am going to assign you to the building group’
James had to walk all the way
to the right end of the anthill where his group of builders were.
He joined a group of ants building more holes deep in the ground.
Work Work Work
He dug alongside the other ants with a piece of wood.
They were working steadily when the ground shook. A many legged caterpillar was moving through the hole.
Everyone scattered and escaped into different holes.
The caterpillar passed away out of the anthill and the ants, still terrified, returned to their digging.
James went to visit his mother after work. She was feeling better and was discharged to go home.
James helped her lie on her bed at home.
‘How is your new job?’ She asked him.
James smiled at her. ‘Okay’ he said.
Weakened, she closed her eyes and slept. James watched her sadly. His mother was slipping away slowly.
James was busy with work and looking after his mother for the next few months. Winter began to approach and everyone began to prepare for the cold weather.

James was digging into a hole near the surface early in the cold winter morning. He raised his wood and mistakenly struck up. The wet ground broke and ice gusted into the hole.
‘What is happening?’ all the ants working cried out as the place became freezing cold. Ice kept spilling into the hole.
Everyone looked furiously at James.
The next morning, he had to go to the job office again.
‘Join the watchers’ he was told.
The next morning he packed what clothing he would need and set out on his journey. He left the anthill and walked the whole day to the little hill that had been built for the watchers.
It was the watchers camp.

As he walked closer to the watch-hill he met many ants all looking harassed and moving quickly to and from the hill.
‘What’s up’ he asked one.
‘Haven’t you heard?’ said the little ant. ‘Lots of humans have invaded this territory and are destroying the land, it is only a matter of time before they reach our anthill’
James froze, terrified. He went up the sandy steps of the watch tower in a daze
He joined a large number of ants
on the top of the hill.
A large ant was standing in the front.
‘Watchers, Watchers’ said the ant in front. ‘A large catastrophe is coming, humans cutting the grass, and trees and destroying anthills are headed this way’
Everyone face filled with terror. What was going to happen now?.

‘Our anthill has survived for generations’ said the ant. ‘But alas, it is finally going to be destroyed’
James fell to the ground in despair. Everyone looked devastated. Many ants were
weeping openly.
‘As the watchers, we will keep watch over the humans and report to the Council’
Everyone formed a line and filled out into the fields. They walked for hours in the cold until they reached the fields with the long green grass.
Thud Thud
The sound of massive feet shook the ground, making a giant wave of sand pour all over the ants. Every ant shook with terror.
‘Hold tight to the grass, everyone’ called an ant. James, along with everyone else caught hold of a side of a piece of grass.
Several of the giant humans were working
the fields, falling trees and wiping out greenery as they moved with giant blades. James had never felt more terrified in his life.
‘Fall back, everyone’ called an ant and they started the walk home, heading with relief away from the giant humans.
James returned home to find that the news had spread everywhere.
‘Everyone is in a panic’ Becca told him that evening in his living room. ‘No one knows what to do’
‘We need to evacuate’ he told his mother. ‘And start a new anthill in a new location’
The next morning, all the ants
gathered in the top of the anthill. It was time for a serious discussion.
An elderly ant took the stage in front of the other ants.
‘A thousand years ago, seven ant families came together to build this anthill. Today the anthill is now home to thousands and is the biggest anthill ever seen’
‘But today, everything that we had worked so hard to build is coming to an end, the giant humans are on their way to destroy it’
A lot of ants burst into tears.
A chorus of voices broke out.
‘Is there anything we can do?’ asked a very young ant. ‘Can we fight them, there are lots of us’
‘We need to flee immediately’ cried a middle aged ant.
‘But where could we flee to?’ said an old ant. ‘All the anthills will also be destroyed’
‘We can’t just give up’ Everyone was panicking.
‘Calm down, everyone’ the elderly ant said. ‘What we need is a careful evacuation to a safe location’
This advice seemed to calm most of the ants down. It was agreed that the evacuations would begin tomorrow





Early the next morning, James looked out of his window to see a massive crowd already lining up at the gate. On all their backs most of they were carrying what supplies they could-bread, corn ,cheese and what have you
The anthill they had lived in for so many generations was going to be abandoned. They had no choice
James carried a grain of corn to his mother room when she was still ill.
‘Have some food, Ma’ He gave the corn to her.
She tried to rise. ‘What is happening’ she asked.
‘People are leaving’ He told her.
James spent the day looking after his mother as many ants travelled away from the anthill .He didn’t want to move her. The news kept coming that the humans were getting closer.

In the evening, there was a knock on his door. James opened his door to find Becca waiting.
‘What are you doing here?’ He asked. ‘I thought you have left with half the ants’
The anthill had taken a deathly still as many of the ants have left.
‘I am not leaving until everyone leave first’ Becca said with a spark in her eye.
‘What!’
‘When I was young, my parents were killed by a spider, I don’t want anyone to die like that, which is why I am waiting to help everyone’
‘You are too kind,Becca’ It was her kindness that made him love her.
Becca left soon and James took
water in a leaf to his mother.
The evacuations continued till late in the
evening. When James woke in the morning, there was a deathly silence in the ant hill. Most of the ants were gone
Then it happened. A giant human face appeared from above. A giant hoe hit the anthill from above. It hit again. And again.
James felt the wall begin to shake, like an earthquake.
The anthill began to run into sand in front of his very eyes.
James hurried to his mother’s bedroom. She had risen, looking alarmed.
‘What’s happening?’ She cried. ‘Have they come?’
‘Yes, hold on to me, Ma’ He helped her get onto his back.
Sand was rising up as the entire anthill was turning to sand. James climbed through a hole, then another. Around him, other people were also rushing out of the anthill.
He got to the gate. He saw Becca in a
crowd, carrying a young child out.


‘His parents died in the explosion’ She told him.
Running, they both managed to
pass the gate.
Behind them as they ran, the entire anthill of a thousand years becomes sand.
They didn’t stop running untill
they got under a giant tree. James laid his mother to rest.
‘We need to get going soon’ said Becca,who was giving the child water.
Once they had eaten and drunk they walked on into the fields with the other ants.







Their journey lasted several weeks. Finally they got to a new, perfect landscape for a new anthill.
A large number of the other ants were already gathered here.
‘Let’s get to work’ The ants all said together.
Everybody put their hands together to build the new anthill.
James turned to Becca. ‘So, are we getting married?’
Becca smiled shyly. ‘ Will you take the child, Elliot as your own as well’
‘With all my heart’ He said
‘I accept you with all my heart’
The anthill finished building on the day they were married. And they all lived happily ever after.