A Changed World

Everyone knew Mother Nature was dead. They didn't know how alive she was.

There was practically nothing left. Mankind had ravaged the natural environment and its resources to completion. In the oceans, microbes feasting on volcanic cones spewing sulphuric acid were the last reminder of mother nature’s triumph of diversified life.

On the land, a few surviving mother ants learned to harvest what got caught in the growing fields of spongy green mold. The mold stuck to the ant's bodies found new purchase and grew elsewhere. A symbiotic relationship grew, seemingly overnight. The mold grew spores the ants harvested like bees did with flower nectar.

The human population was uninterested in its surroundings, other than providing space itself for the next artificial community to be built, each one intentional and with purpose. Mankind wanted to fulfill its dream of going to the stars.

With mankind accelerating the rate of change towards living a synthetic pure existence, a stranglehold on nature had occurred. People searched and found their heaven on earth. Synthetic diets offered self healing healthy bodies. Controlled environments meant no more war. A treasure trove of synthetics manufactured by A.I. meant no more need for natural resources. Curiosity was the last realm left unchecked. People could live and thrive in artificial satellites flung skyward as easily as they did on earth. The stars beckoned.

Mother nature silently took hold of the few remaining options, speeded up its response and, unknown to mankind, proceeded to provide a way to balance things out.

“You going out again?” Sylvia Porter looked worried. “No alarm went off.”

“I’m restless. Worried about that green scum coating the air ventilators.” Henry Porter shrugged into his space walking suit, shut the visor and grinned at his wife before heading for the air lock.

“Earning browny points with the commission isn’t going to turn you into a hero, darling.” Slybia punched a few buttons, turning on the video monitor on the drone soon buzzing over Henry’s head. “I’m going to be tracking you. We need a record of what’s happening out there. Too many changes lately, and all of them bad.”

It wasn’t just the green scum mutating and taking advantage to feast on he environmental devastation. It was the ants that had her worried. They no longer used their deep underground labyrinths. Towers, some seven meters tall, were beginning to sprout at the edges of her home base.

Henry had captured a few of the worker ants to study them in the lab. “I don’t know how it happened,” he’d said, eyeing the 24/7 video camera screen. Warrior ants had somehow spit an acid like substance that melted a hole in the class case where he’d put the worker ants and freed them. The camera had been focused on the activity within the case.

A bubble of condensed exterior wall at its base revealed the only sign of the ant’s escape to the outside. Henry had sprayed the usual deadly toxins round the home base. Neither had slept for many uneasy nights, but nothing further out of the ordinary was happening. Yet.

Mankind was still ruler of the natural world. The fact that they were practically the only natural thing left in its remains, seemed to bother no-one except a few, like Henry and Sylvia. They were practically outcasts, living in isolation in one of the outlying moon huts, hastily put up for their residence.

“Nothing.” Henry said, examining the outside air filtration system. Sylvia flew the drone in for closer inspection. Not a thread of green scum remained anywhere. “Guess the hydrochloric acid did the trick.”

Sylvia did a quick flyby of the surrounding area. “That’s crazy. It was the dominant feature. What happened to it?”

She bit her lip, “I wonder.” A deft twist of the drone’s control knob sent it flying towards the edge of the compound. “They’re farming it.” Green scum coated the anthills, rising in gracefully grown rows of what looked like toadstools. Worker ants had made paths to where Henry had spread his poison. They were carrying deadly bits of dirt and gravel back to their farm.

“Look at this.” She flashed screen shots from the drone to Henry’s faceplate as he was making his way inside.

Henry yelped with elation. “Symbiotic relationship. It had to happen and you’ve just proved it. Wait until we show the high council.”

They’d ignored the previous report and photos of the warrior ants spitting hole in glass and the escape bubble in the moon base wall. Their rations had been reduced along with threats of having to take mind-numbing pills under observation if the couple tried tricking the council again.

Jen Anderson, leader of the council hadn’t even bothered to send anyone out to examine the physical manifestations of their report. “We don’t want to agitate rumors. We’ve made a heaven on earth for ourselves, perfect healthy artificial diet, controlled aggression, auto-manufactured homes and products fulfilling every need, and a balanced population.” She finished ticking off the crowning achievements of mankind.

“We have to be more careful,” Sylvia cautioned.

“This time, we have proof something important is happening to mother nature.” Henry was ready to go to the council right now. Living on basic food rations had to stop.

“I’m pregnant.” Sylvia rubbed her tummy. “Three months along. I didn’t want to say anything because it wasn’t pre-approved by the council.”

“Stuff the council. They’ve been lax in providing needed supplies to keep us hanging from a string. Birth control pills slipped their radar. It’s not your fault.”

Henry’s support provided the strength Sylvia had needed to firm up her resolve to go it alone with him. She moved into his arms as he put the moon suit into the decontamination bath. “I love you. I hope it's going to be a boy.”

“No worries. The council hasn’t sent anyone to check on us in months. They’re waiting for us to come to our senses and come begging to be brought back into the fold.” He wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist and hugged her. “There will be a lot to do to get ready for the family addition.” He already was making plans in his head on how to add on a bedroom for their home. It would have to be built as an underground basement. If ants could do it, he could. He might even have the ants do it for him.

“I have a surprise for you,” Henry gushed, swinging Syliva in his arms. He hadn’t planned on showing her just yet, but there was no better time.

“What? It is time for lunch. I can hear your tummy growling, or is that mine?”

It’s probably the baby,” Henry joked, hates you eating that paste the council calls a balanced diet. Come on. What I’m going to show you is practically a miracle. I’ve been helping mother nature along. I’ve got some amazing results.”

He led her into the lab without donning thee protective suits. “Nothing to fear. I’ve acclimated them to our normal inhouse environment. That took some doing. They love feasting on green scum. I had to adapt it.”

The usual glass case had been replaced with a lead lined one. Sylvia had to lean over the top to examine what was inside. A small sized ant colony had burrowed into the ground cover. The builder ants were harvesting buds off green scum toadstools. “No warrior ants. No need for them,” Henry supplied. “Now watch.”

He unclipped the cover, slid it aside and reached down to pinch off a marble size bud from a large toadstool the ants were leaving alone. “They have a natural sweet taste that is unbelievable.” Henry popped it into his mouth. “One could live off these things. I’ve checked their nutrient value.”

Alarm bells were ringing in Sylvia’s head. “You’re going too far.” She’d have to report this to the high council. Touching anything outside without protection, much less eating it, risked contaminating the air everyone breathed.

It was impossible to hide her alarm. “What’s that?” She looked wildly towards door lock. “Is that escaping air?”

Sylvia lurched towards the compartment where the outdoor suits hung. “I’m putting mine one just in case. Please, Henry, don’t just stand there. Check it out.”

Her husband was already sliding his palm along the contoured lines of the lock. “I don’t hear any hissing noise like what happened before. Calm down. Aren’t you glad for my success? It’s monumental.”

It was obvious he wanted to crow and she was the only cheerleader he had. “Of course I’m happy for you, but I want to stay alive while doing so. Aren’t you going to put your suit on?” Syvia was already fastening hers in place. It fit like a glove. She grabbed her emergency pack and slung it in place. Now, how to figure out a way to get outside without him following her.

John had the air monitor wand in hand and was testing for pinhole leaks. Being on their own it was up to them to safeguard their lives. No blinking light revealed a malfunction in the lock. “We’re safe. You can take that thing off now.”

“Sorry. Pregnancy does strange things to a woman’s emotions. I guess it is making me jumpy.”

It made John realize the magnitude of what the couple was facing. He put aside his excitement about his discovery to reassure Sylvia. “I’m here for you all the way, babe. We’ll work through any problems with the council or even the whole community like we always do. Let’s calm down and enjoy it for now. I love you so much. This only makes our lives richer.”

It made her heart ache hearing him talk like this. Leaving on impulse was not an option. She’d have to plan something. It would have to happen soon, though. She couldn’t put the baby inside her at any more risk than was absolutely impossible to avoid.

“I love you, too, John. I’m just nervous about how fast you are experimenting with the deadly world outside that won’t go away. I’m proud of the way you are protecting us from it, but kind of worried at the same time. And now, if there was an accident, we have another life to consider. You understand, don’t you?”

The zeal for John’s discovery left his face. “You don’t have to worry about that. The lab is in a totally separate compartment with its own lock. I decontaminate every time I go in and out of it. I use every monitoring device we’ve got to probe for any changes going on inside my body as part of the process. You think I’d put your life at risk?”

That is exactly what Sylvia thought. “But you, yourself have seen and talked about the changes out there. The ant hives, the harvesting of the green gunk, how both are evolving and working together. It scared me silly with us finding the pinholes where the ants had goten in where we live. This place is armor plated.” Her voice was rising. She closed her eyes and began breathing deeply. She wasn’t being paranoid.

“That’s exactly why my discovery is so important. We have to learn to adapt, What’s happening outside our door isn’t being stopped by drowning it with the toxins mankind has used to destroy ninety-nine percent of the plant and animal life in the world. Nature isn’t taking that laying down.”

“One man against the world, John? Those are impossible odds.”

“They’re the only ones we’ve got.”

There it was. Each of them, for the first time in their marriage, was taking a different stand. The tension was something so tight it took Sylvia’s breath away. “One thing at a time, John. We’ve got to deal with my having a baby without the council’s permission. Delaying letting the community know will only make matters worse. You know that as well as I do.”

John was pacing back and forth. He stopped next to her to try taking her in his arms. Sylvia stood frozen like a statue. “Hey, we have to take this on together. If we don’t, we’d be at our most vulnerable. There are too many against us. They’d be on us like ravening dogs.”

“Nice analogy, John. Except there are no dogs left in the world. They were bringing in the disease that almost finished humanity off.”

“You know what I mean.”

“This is going nowhere. We need a plan. I threw you off your feet with my baby announcement. I’ve been using birth control pills. I think the ones the council’s been providing me were not tested properly. They have to take some of the responsibility. For that.”

“Makes sense. You’ve had more time to think about this. What else have you come up with?”

“Your presence with the council always sets them off. You stay here working on your project. No. Let me finish. I take the pills I’ve been given and meet with them. If I’m lucky, my mom will make my dad let me stay with them while the council makes a decision. Dad knows the crew who produces the birth control pills. I think I can convince him to have them do an independent analysis.”

John considered this. “That’s a lot to push all at once. Why not send the pills back with the guy bringing our next shipment of goods? A letter to your dad should be enough to show the urgency of the matter.”

“That guy you are talking about is spying on us and reporting back everything he sees while delivering our shipment, John. He’l read that letter. The council is so defensive, it’ll take immediate action against us. I’ve thought of every possible scenario. That’s why I’ve got to go.”

It sounded convincing. She’d been adlibbing, but the more she firmed the idea out, the more it was the way to go.” The pit in her stomach eased a little. She took John’s hand and pressed it between her palms. “What do you think? Is there anything I’m missing?” He had to make his own choice. She could only push things so far.

He was a study in silence. Too much was happening too fast. The excitement of his discovery, the changes in the world outside, and now this. Thoughts swirled in his head. “I can’t think.”

John stared down at his feet, “God.” His right foot shot out, stomping down so hard it hurt. The sound made Sylvia jump to her feet and back away in alarm.

“John?”

“Another one. Another ant got inside our fortress. See what I mean? Defense isn’t working. We’ve got to go on the offense.” He snapped up the air monitor wand and began checking for leaks again. This time there was one. He caught and smashed another ant wiggling its way inside.

When he turned around, wondering why Sylvia wasn’t helping, he saw her putting on her suit again. “I’m leaving, John. Either you are coming with me or I’m going alone. You decide.”

“I’m the only hope we’ve got. That’s not just for me, you and the baby. What I’ve discovered is the best hope for our community’s lives. Just don’t make this break us apart. Now go. I’ll handle this. I’ll be in touch.”

Sylvia didn’t wait any longer. The air lock hissed open. As always she was impatient to let it hiss shut and wait the prescribed few minutes before the outside layer opened. The world had changed outside her door.

She thought she’d been terrified before. “Oh, John.” How could she leave him with this monstrosity he’d be facing. The green mold had transformed into fields of a grass like substance with the occasion bush and rising tree like figure. In the midst of this impossible scene, actual cities of ant-like structures with their farms spilled out at the far horizon.

One look at her own home revealed pits in the outside armor. Ants were busy carving and carrying bits away as if they were gold. In alarm, Sylvia checked her feet to see if any ants were attached. “Thank goodness.”

The can of toxin spray that everyone carried in hand when outside felt useless in her grip. “It would probably only mean another stimulant for this mad growth.”

The most fecund area was where the community waste disposal site built behind her home. Human waste mingled with other garbage that could not be recycled. Toxins to break the mess down mingled with both. It wasn’t being mined, it was being eaten. Nature was flourishing there in fast action time. It was a jungle.

Sylvia waited no longer. She had the baby to think about. Her air regulator adjusted as she kicked into a faster pace towards the community center miles away.

Despair threatened to overcome John. “Gone.” His body functioned automatically to seal up the ant hole. He reinforced it with armored glue, forgoing using the traditional toxin sprays the council enforced. “It would just attract more ants. They love this stuff. The green mold does too.” That was a given only he and Sylvia knew.

“I should have sent a record of this second attack along with Sylvia.” By habit, he’d recorded the hole, dead ant, and needed repair. Now, he forwarded it via satellite relay to the community command center along with an urgent demand for someone to come out and confirm his finding.

The answer from them was shocking. “We did send out someone. Alan Anthony. We’ve been waiting for his report. Get him on visual with us, and we’ll deal with the matter now.”

“He never arrived.” John’s words felt thick in his mouth. “I didn’t harm him if that’s what you’re thinking.”

The council chairman appeared on John’s screen. John didn’t know that could happen without him activating his laptop. What else where they doing to spy on him?

“Where’s Sylvia? She’s always there by your side.”

“She’s on her way to the community. She’ll explain when she gets there.”

“If she gets here, according to what you are saying about Allen Anthony.”

“You’re right for a change. I’m putting on my suit and making sure she’s all right. You seem to be able to spy on everything in my home. I’d advise you to keep an eye out for where the ants are coming in. It’ll verify everything I’ve shown you.”

John didn’t bother shutting down his laptop. “Let them have at it.” He dressed himself in his suit, grabbed his emergency backpack, and left.

The council head, a man by the of Leland Stroud, stared in disbelief as a tendril of green mold slid up from a new hole in the home. A thick acid-like substance appeared up one side of the snake-like structure. Army ants began using the thickening arm as a walk-way. He could not believe his eyes.

HIs fingers were already dancing on his command console, activating the transfer being recorded to every member of the council body. A request for an immediate meeting accompanied the recording.

He swiveled in his chair, sending an urgent request for every member of his security group to be on high alert. The newest toxins, even the ones half tested would be needed to deal with this unheralded threat. What was happening in that home was only a precursor to what could happen with the whole community.

He took time to personally forward his recording and message to the networked communities he was linked with. “They have no idea what we’re facing.”

Return messages were blinking with their return before he was done. Close variations of the same form of attack were being announced simultaneously. It was as if they were planned. A quick glance at the first to arrive revealed the hysteria of the responses being made. Toxins only fueled the strength of ever growing numbers of warrior ants. The ants were using living green mold plant life to suck up the toxins and transform them into acid projectiles spitting in rapid fire against the humans.

“The caves. We’ve got to retreat to the caves.” Leland Stroud’s, fingers trembled as he punched out the command for every citizen to immediately leave whatever they were doing and without retrieving anything, descend into the caves below the compound.

They had been the natural fortress first used by the few surviving remains of mankind living in the local area before help had arrived. Something in the rock formation kept the toxic poison and everything else out. Stored survival gear and food had kept the group alive. Similar pockets of communities communicated over the remaining satellite relays. Specialized international research communities from major corporations made breakthroughs

No longer needed, this thrust of innovation gave way to complacency. The drive to the stars slowed in bureaucratic sub-committees. Leland Stroud’s community had been tasked as one of the groups innovating new toxins and products needed for generations long interstellar flight. Eyes had turned to the variety of band width increases offered space telescopes searching human habitable planets. That would have to change.

Sylvia’s parents were waiting for her, ears still stuck to their cellphones. “I hope you’re not the cause of this,” her father, Stan Porter said and hung up.

“What’s the rush?” Sylvia caught a bag of belongings thrust at her. “Where are you going? What’s happening?”

“We’re going to the caves. There’s no time for talk. You arrived just in time. We don’t know what the emergency is.” Her mother, Alice Porter, hefted what she could carry and caught her balance. “We don’t even know if we’ll be allowed to keep anything.”

“Come on,” Stan Porter urged them towards a gathering mass of other inhabitants. They were all headed in the same direction. “It’s a good thing the council used the caves for storage. It’ll be a tight fit, our population has expanded to its limit.”

“Where’s John, dear? Why isn’t he with you?” Alice wanted to know. “He’s back home. It may have something to do with your emergency.”

Stan exploded. “What has he done now? You never should have married that man.”

“Now dear, let Sylvia explain.” Alice, ever the peacemaker, nudged her way forward, urging her husband to come and take the lead.

“He was right, you know, about the ants eating their way through our armored walls. We sent you the video.” Sylvia knew she’d have to wait to tell them about the pregnancy. “They got inside again. He’s dealing with it.”

“How?” Stan demanded, marching towards the cave entrance.

“You can’t take that in here,” a security guard stopped Stan from entering. “Stack it there with the other stuff people are bringing in. I hope you have your contact information on it.” He was already trying to separate the bag from Stan.

Another security guard came up to help Alice. “Easy. That’s right. Everything will be provided below.” The line behind them was growing and pushing forward. The trio had to go with the tide.

Artificial lighting revealed explosives hanging above them. “They’re going to seal us in.” Stan shuddered before moving on, grasping Alice’s hand as he did so.

Sylvia froze for a moment. “Henry.” He’d never have a chance.

“Ant’s couldn’t be the cause of this. It must be an insurrection of one of the interstellar flight groups.” Henry couldn’t help theorizing before more information would be provided. “We had more arguing than progress lately.”

“You’re wrong, dad. I was there. You didn’t see what I saw when I left to come here. The ant hives are organized. The green mold is transforming with a lightning speed of its own. I know it sounds like I’m dreaming, but I saw it.”

“That couldn’t have escaped the attention of the monitors, dear,” Alice remonstrated.

“We needed that equipment and staff for the interstellar project. We were stagnating. The council felt monitoring the outside wasn’t needed. Nothing was happening out there but some patches of green mold.” Stan shook his head as they found cots being pushed towards them with food, water, and hygiene bags on them.

People’s voices buzzed around them as everyone began settling in. Greetings were made, questions asked and left unanswered. “I’m pregnant,” Sylvia said.

“You can’t be. We haven’t received any notice from the council,” Alice gasped.

“How could you?” Stan said in a tortured voice.

Sylvia pulled her birth control pills from her emergency pack. “The council sent some bad ones. That’s why I’m here.”

“Bad timing,” Stan said. “But, there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

Alice reached over the side of her cot to hug her daughter. “You’re feeling alright. You’ve gotten no medical care, have you?”

“Nothing. I’m only a few months along. I wanted to be sure.” Sylvia hugged her mother back. She felt like sobbing with relief at no longer having to keep the news inside.

One of the families close by seemed to be eyeing Sylvia and Alice suspiciously. “Say, aren’t you the recluse living out there at the edge of the compound?”

Sylvia was saved a reply by overhead speakers cracking alive, “Announcement. Brace yourselves. We’re blowing the entrance to the cave. There may be some air wave concussion for those nearby. There will be a major announcement in about an hour.”

A countdown began. Everyone tensed, some holding their ears, others massaging and yawning open mouths. “One.” The sound wave from the explosion rushed by. It silenced every conversation.

“We’re trapped,” said the neighbor, accusing Sylvia of being an outcast.

“He’s right,” said Stan. “No-one expected us to have a use for the cave again. The storage stuff is for the interstellar project. There is no B plan to get us out of here. Don’t worry, we’ll be in communication with the other communities. We’ll have one of them come and dig us out when things settle.” He was reassuring listening ears as much as himself.

“What a beautiful thing,” Henry marveled at what he was seeing. Air hissed back at him as it escaped the widening fissure. “To think I got to see it before I died.”

He was beginning to feel dizzy and knew it would only be minutes, if that, before he was gone. “I knew nature would make a comeback. I hope you are getting all this, high council.”

There was no response from his laptop. Henry sat on the floor still gaping at the tendrils. Now several were exploring the far wall, all coated with ants. He looked down as he felt several tickling his ankles.

They weren't biting. They were exploring. Henry took a deep breath, fighting for air. He spit, some of it landing on an ant. The insect recoiled and then lay still.

“Dead. My saliva killed it.” He tried again, missed, and then again. He scored a hit. “My body’s defenses, I guess. Are you watching?” He looked up at his laptop. The screen was blank.

Darkness was growing around his vision. “Won’t be long now.” He imagined being with Sylvia and the baby. That was as close as the real thing was going to get. He closed his eyes and waited for death.

What happened instead, was Henry spit out a wad of green scum rising up in his throat. He took in the growing toxic air. His skin prickled, his nose flared, and he breathed in again. More green scum ejected up his heaving throat. Dying wasn’t going to be easy.

He blinked, his vision momentarily clearing. The scene around him was unreal. Vines covered the walls, ceiling and floor, circling around him, leaving him alone. The ants, however, were all over him.

“Gaah.” Henry rose, brushing them off where he could. The vines seemed to sense the movement, a few turned, moving towards him, spitting their acid to grease the way. More ants reclaimed their position on Henry. The vines withdrew. “They’re protecting me.” Henry stood still, waiting for what might come next, wondering that he was still alive.

His breathing was better. He watched as the vines attacked and dissolved his home around him. The circle of vines around him widened away. Henry’s gorge came up, his stomach writhing, and he expelled green vomit. It spilled down the front of him. Ants rushed madly in to devour it.

Henry seemed to have an unending supply. The ants tried climbing down his throat to get at it just as another stream came erupting out. He could hardly breathe. It forced him down on his knees and forward. Vines close by, scrabbled away. The smell of the vomit was intense. It clung to his clothes.

He ripped at his shirt, balled it up, and flung it from him. A hole appeared where vines had been. With a lunge he crawled toward it, vines desperately scrabbling away.

HIs ants rode him, delicately staying away from first his eyes, then his nose, ears, and finally his mouth. Freeing his hands came next. Anywhere he resisted their touch gave way to freedom of movement.

Henry felt his rebirth growing stronger. “I’m hungry.” His experimental supply of green mold had been untouched. Ants moved their feelers around it, then made a wall to prevent others from coming close. “They can’t be that smart. Ants don’t think. They are governed by group instinct.”

An oversized queen ant took that moment to arrive, dancing her way to those attached to Henry. Her waving wings made a beating sound in the silent air and the ants moved away from Henry. An opening was forced towards his green food.

Stunned, Henry bowed towards the queen, walked over, and ate a green gob. “So you’re the one in command.” He sucked on his fingers to clean them. “Thirsty.”

The ants and vines gave way as he moved towards his water faucet. Nothing came out. The vines had destroyed most of the house by now. The power shut off as Henry reached the refrigerator. He drank from the cold water storage container and decided to take it with him. “Will you let me go or do you plan on keeping me like an overgrown aphid to milk me for vomit?”

The vines moved away as he climbed over a broken segment of wall. The world outside was a jungle in one direction, and a mass of ant hives in another. The direction towards the community revealed a wave of warrior ants marching that way. There was nothing to do but follow. Sylvia was that way.

The sound of a hovering drone overhead took Henry’s attention. He waved. “You finally believe me?” He knew what this must look like. To the council, he’d be the one orchestrating the attack. No anthill could think this up, could it?” It was mind blowing.

“Now that I’ve got your attention, let me explain,” Henry shouted up at the bobbing drone. He didn’t need notes. He’d memorized every step of the process in making his green food. He gave the drone the recipe, then went on to explain his experimental trials and results.

“I’m not a one man army backed up by pests and weeds. I’ve learned how to co-exist with our natural environment. You’ve buried yourselves away from the truth long enough, pun intended.” Was Sylvia there listening to him? He hoped so.

When he arrived at the community center, the queen ant was there to greet him. She landed on one shoulder, climbed up to his ear and began to hum her wings into a soft insistent melody. The drone overhead watched in place. “What, you’re trying to communicate with me?”

The humming noise took on a change in rhythm. A whisper of words tickled Henry’s ear. “Can you hear me?”

“Yes.” Henry looked at the drone. Was it hearing this, too?

“We are The One. You are The Other. We learned of you through the vibrations you call cell phones. We talk English using the A.I. Internet with phones we have harvested. We will trade your technology with access to the world we are creating.”

It was a rehearsed speech. Henry realized he would be their conduit, making it easier for The One to get to know and interact with The Other. He hoped the community would accept his new position.

“We are individuals, not a group entity. It is harder and takes longer to make group choices. I will work with you and The Other but we need a plan that includes small steps to show progress for that to work out.”

“Let it be so.”

Henry sat down on the rubble in front of the fallen entrance to the cave. He watched as the queen ant flew off. Worker ants carried a cell phone that had been in someone’s bag left at the entrance to the cave.

He lifted it up, turned it on and heard it ring. He lifted it to his ear, punched a button and said, “Hello?”


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