Thursday, 10 May 2007
The Ant
By Norm Jenson of Mostly Anecdotal
There is an ant in my house, and there is a bookcase attached to the wall above and behind the desk my computer sits on. Most days I see the ant walking along the lower edge of the bookshelf, he walks at least 30 minutes every day. I figure he is on some sort of fitness regimen.
I know there are some of you, who, if you saw an ant walking across the edge of the bookcase in front of you would reach out and pinch him between your forefinger and your thumb, or maybe between your middle finger and thumb, and then you’d squeeze him gently. It wouldn’t take much, and then you’d flick him toward the wastebasket. Not me, I like having an ant in the house.
The edge is perpendicular to the ground so I’m not sure how he manages not to fall, sticky feet I’m guessing. He always walks from my right to my left and around the corner of the bookcase and out of sight. Then somehow he walks behind the bookcase and later reappears again walking right to left and around the corner. I don’t remember seeing him appear until he is at least a third of the way along the edge, I’m thinking he must have an invisibility cloak like that young Potter fellow.
Where is he when he’s not circling above me? Why he’s on the wall near where the cat sleeps. The cat and he like to play, though not as much now as they once did.
One day I saw the cat trying to catch the ant, usually the cat just sits and stares at him tilting his head to one side and then to the other. One day the cat was successful. He had the ant in his paw, and then he started hopping around and shaking his paw. I laughed. I’m not sure if I should have. Was the ant just tickling his foot or was he biting? “Play nice,” I said. This continued for a time, and then either the ant got tired of the game and jumped to the floor or the cat shook him loose.
I was worried about the ant, I didn’t see him land; he may have had a hard landing. I didn’t see the ant for the rest of the day, but the next morning there he was doing his wall walking right in front of me. I said, “Hi ant, how you doing.” He ignored me.
Posted by Ronni Bennett at 02:15 AM | Permalink | Email this post
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I would have smashed the ant the first time, and then missed getting to know him. The lesson is: never smash someone who could become your friend.
Posted by: Travelinoma | Thursday, 10 May 2007 at 09:43 AM
I am totally in sympathy with your antliness. Oddly, just before reading your story, I had written one of my own along the same lines.
I live on the 20th floor of a condominium building which adds to its sterility by disallowing pets. Without the management's knowledge, I have had a number of pets - a scarab beetle, some carpenter bees, a purple finch, and, yes, an ant. (I have an open balcony.)
My story is about my latest pet, a tiny spider.
Posted by: leah | Friday, 11 May 2007 at 08:02 AM
In a children's book,with colorful illustrations, this story would delight youngsters.
It delighted me but then I am in my "second childhood"
Posted by: Chancy | Friday, 11 May 2007 at 11:46 AM
Leah,
Please submit the story about your spider.
Chancy,
What a wonderful idea, I can picture the ant donning his invisibility cloak.
Posted by: Norm | Saturday, 12 May 2007 at 11:41 AM
Nice to see there are other crazies out there like me. I've been known to pick up tiny beetles and flick them outdoors so they won't have to die by my hand. Wish I could commit to total vegetarianism because I don't really want to eat flesh--just that I got used to it as a child.
Posted by: Alice | Monday, 21 May 2007 at 01:45 PM
When I was in 5th grade we had a time called sharing. Today it would be show and tell.
Ricky, was sharing a story about his vacation to Mexico where he said he had a Mexican ant. I pictured an ant in a poncho and a big sombrero.
I laughed soo hard, it ruined his story and he sat down not knowing what was soo funny. It didn't even dawn on me that he meant AUNT.
Posted by: Herm | Sunday, 09 November 2008 at 10:28 PM