Bedtime Stories

Little ant was like any other ant. She worked for the queen and the colony, and in turn was allowed to stay anthill, where she would be safe. However, little ant was bored with living the same old life, doing the same thing every day. She wanted to know What life was like outside of the anthill. Little ant had "ant friends," so she talked to them about her thoughts.

"Silly little ant," they would say, "we are ants. We are not meant to be different, or to live alone. We live for the colony, and that's all!"

This is not what little ant wanted to hear. The ant hill had an "Ant Counselor" to help whenever an ant is having problems, but the only real problem in the anthill was physical trauma. Little ant still gave it a try. Unfortunately, the ant counselor was not as friendly as little ant suspected. When she asked the counselor What life was like outside of the anthill, she was instantly accused of treason, and taken to ant court.

In this court there was no judge, no jury, there was only the queen. The queen was not very forgiving to traitors, though little ant saw no reason why she should be called a traitor.

"I only wondered what it would be like to live outside, to live a different life."

"Little ant, your ignorance stuns me. To question our way of life is to question your own existence, your safety, and most importantly, me! This mound was built around me! Not you, little ant. It was I who gave you your life, and it is me who you will sacrifice it for. But, maybe I am being a little too rough. Fine, you want to know what the outside world is like? Than you can go and find out for yourself!"

And with that, little ant was banished from the anthill.

Little ant was scared, but she knew that she would be okay. There's always food around somewhere, but little ant wasn't finding any. All of a sudden, she ran into a grasshopper.

"Well now, what's an ant doing out on its own?"

"I was banished from the anthill because i questioned the ant way of life." Little ant was almost sad that she had done this now.

"Well I'll be! Must be the smartest ant I've met in all my days. Come with me, I want to take you to a place called "picnic ground" where you'll find food and shelter."

Little ant was overjoyed by what the grasshopper was doing for her, and of course she followed. Soon, when they had arrived, little ant felt as if she was in heaven (that is, if she had known what heaven was). Surprisingly, when little ant turned around to thank the grasshopper, she saw that he had left.

Little ant enjoyed the next few days there, and then one day she saw another ant in the picnic ground. The other ant told a similar story to little ant's, and also remembered being led there by a grasshopper.

Soon, more ants arrived, and within a month, they had enough ants to start their own colony. But they decided on a different kind of colony. One where the ants had freedom to explore and find food for themselves, but there was always extra food for newcomers and in case there was a slow day. Little ant was elected queen, but her duties were simple. She was there to make sure that everyone was being fair, and to greet the new ants that would come flooding from all directions after hearing the news of a new colony.

Every day when little ant looked back on her life, she remembered the grasshopper, who she would never meet again, but loved for giving her this new life. Without him, she would've just been another ant, dead in the mud.