.. watching the ants ..

He found it relaxing watching them go about their business - the type of business that doesn't require currency or signed agreements. He wasn't an intellectual, by any means, but at the same time he wondered how the heat would be affecting the little creatures. And, how they coped when it rained and when the floor was soaked. He told himself he'd read up about them later but he knew he never would. Something else would come up, like a television programme.

He did find it quite remarkable though; he pondered how so many ants could have gathered around, and on, the same sweet. They were occupying it, dominating it. It was like looking at a small over populated planet, he guessed. Did ants have a really strong sense of smell or perhaps there were ant TV stations that had particularly fast and up to date news services'. Or, maybe, one ant would spot the sweet and rush off back to the nest or colony or hideout or whatever and start shouting and yelling to the rest.

'Oi, you lot! Quick! There's a liquorice all sort out there!'
'Oh yeah? It's not another one of those shitty black ones with the white centre is it?'
'No, it's one of the good ones. The pink one with the bobbles on it.'
'Nice one.'
'Got it.'
'Little beauty.'
'Let's go!'

He shifted his neck a bit to get a closer look at the specks on the floor. From a little further away they didn't quite seem real. There were truly a lot of them about. Some were carrying bits of the sweet with them - probably for their other halves to prepare for tonight's meal. Was it the male ants out 'providing'? Or maybe it was the females? Or a mixture of both? He liked the thought of that last one, a culture that could be equal. Even in a dream though, it didn't seem possible.

Standing up from the bench, he took out his glasses from his shirt pocket and placed one lens over his right eye. Then, kneeling down on the concrete he peered into the grass to get a magnified view of the little community. There were two ants to one side fighting. Well, that's what it looked like. Stumbling and fumbling around. He used his zoomed view for a close up of one of the ants carrying a bit of the sweet. The running of that particular ant looked like a mixture of excitement for providing and cowardice of being caught stealing.

Replacing the glasses into his pocket, he stood up and picked up the shopping he had bought a few hours earlier and headed for the park exit. His walk home lasted little over ten minutes and consisted of passing by twenty six CCTV cameras. And all he could think about were those ants.

.. back ..