On March 20th, CVHS put a new rule in place banning food and beverages from the library. This decision was made among the CVHS administration after a major ant infestation. Eating or drinking in the library will result in an afterschool detention. While the library remains free of food, the ants are in an outrage over this decision but are deciding to stay calm in these hard times.
“We’ve been here for months, what are we supposed to eat now?” Antia, a member of the ant colony spoke in an outraged tone when asked about the ban. “My family has been here for generations eating the school breakfast and drinking the juice!”
Without the food crumbs and juice all over the floor the ants are forced to rely on the cafeteria for help. They fuel off the crumbs of granola bars and the spilling of juice. Without this, they’re essentially starving.
“We don’t want to move to the cafeteria, but we need to survive.” Antony, the leader of the colony stated. The ants have made a plan to migrate to the cafeteria on April 1st.
“My kids are going to be so stressed when we move throughout the hallways.” Antia stated. “Our plan is risky, but it’s better than risking our lives trying to go into someone’s backpack and try to find food.” Antia is a new mother in the colony and just wants to keep her kids safe throughout this situation.
The ants plan is to sneak into the lunch line after hours and find the leftover food. They’re planning to travel in groups to avoid raising suspicion.
“This will be totally new food that we would never get in the morning.” Antlia, Antony’s daughter stated. They hope to get chicken or pudding when they escape from the library. For now, they have to seek cover and ration the last few crumbs in the library until April 1st.
They’re taking shelter in the far right corner of the library by the window. “The light gives me some comfort that everything will be okay after all. Maybe we’ll actually have something to eat.” Anlita stated. This is the comfort they need to know it’ll be okay, a reassurance that this is not for nothing.
“We have had a few of our colony members unfortunately die trying to find food.” Antony says with a heavy tone.
However, there have been some an ally to the ants, bringing them food to eat and juice to drink. A light shining through the darkness.
“They need to eat and drink too.” Imnott Asnitch stated. “They have every right to eat the leftovers in the library, I mean they’re basically cleaning up for us.”
Asnitch says he gets school breakfast and leaves it in the far right corner of the library for the ants. He additionally gets his friends to get school breakfast to give the ants more food. He also strives to help the ants reach the cafeteria.
“We wouldn’t survive without him.” Antony stated. “He is the reason why our colony is not making more of a big deal out of this.”
As April 1st arrives, the ants must stay hidden or else they’ll meet their end. Every day, Antony watches the right corner patiently to protect his colony. When he hears the sound of footsteps hitting the ground, he leads mass evacuation under the windowsill.
“I’m risking my life by constantly watching out for humans,” Antony stated. “But it’s worth it for my colony.” Antony watches and guides the ants to safety before a human foot can reach the other ants.
However, district officials aren’t too happy about the ants’ residence in CVHS.
Antt Hater, a HISD official commented, “They need to leave, this is completely frustrating.” Hater is making plans to stop the ants’ plan forward to the cafeteria. “This is not the ant’s home and it never will be.” Hater ended in his statement.
The ants on the other hand don’t pay any mind to Hater. “He will never bring us down.” Antlita stated. They have built resistance against the poison and traps set against them. They can never forget their fallen family. Each planned escape and each watch out for humans is for their fallen family.
With each sunset and sunrise, the ants know the day of their great plan is coming. An anxiety flows through their bodies with each human step that hits the ground. The scraps aren’t much but they fuel their body with energy they didn’t have before.
The odds are against them, but this won’t stop them from achieving the cafeteria. They won’t forget all the family they have lost. This is meant to be peaceful for the ants.
“We have no guarantee if we’ll make it, but we have to try our best, for our family.”
This story is satire.
