36. Ants

The Little Red Haired Girl

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36 Ants

“Can you think a little more quietly?” whined Body who shifted painfully on the concrete floor of the Pumphouse, “I am trying to sleep.”
“Oh excuse me” replied Brain sarcastically “let’s get some sleep shall we even though we are stuck in this Godforsaken place and prison, and could eventually die unless we find a way out. Let’s get our priorities right huh?”
“Be quiet and maybe a solution will come to us. You are so busy and noisy going round and round like these circular walls, its no wonder you cannot think straight, and I need sleep.”
“You’ve been asleep for hours, and this night is lasting forever, get up and figure a way out!”
“Time is just a manmade concept” sighed Soul.
“That’s helpful thankyou” Brain’s sarcasm was at an all time high, and without a watch, a clock face, a digital number, it could not figure out what time it was or why this darkness, this never ending night was ongoing and indeterminate.

“Why is time so important?” sighed Soul “we know we are stuck in here for now. The present moment is what’s important.”
“I agree. At this ‘present moment’ we need to get out! I am trying to calculate how long we have been without water or food or heat. Body will only survive so long and I hasten to add that without Body, we are all doomed.”
“That’s not necessarily the case” sighed Soul “but as you are so concerned about time I will not debate that now as it would take too much ‘time’.”

“Good” Brain was satisfied for now, but continued to think about their predicament and what had led them here to this place of confinement and darkness.
Body tried to ignore the bouncing noisy thoughts and pivoted painfully to see another ‘view’ in another slice of moonlight. Clouds were travelling past the moon and so eyes vision was intermittent fading in and out of focus like a camera lens without a good photographer guiding it.

Body laid down ignoring the noise from Brain and tried to focus the eyes. Now in this position, the floor became the wall, so it was straight and the ceiling became a curved floor appearing to rise upward. Their were tiny moving shapes climbing upwards along the same ‘floor’, or were there? The light was fluctuating so it was hard to tell.
“You’re going crazy” said Brain “There is nothing there and please ignore it as I am trying to think here.”
“Oh believe me I know” whined Body, and tried to refocus the eyes. Yes eyes could see shapes moving almost in an organised line. Some smaller, some bigger and why a line? It painfully raised an arm to reach out and touch whatever it was.

“Don’t do it” the Little Red Haired Girl cried “they will hurt you. Don’t do it. Mummy will get cross.”
Body stopped, It hadn’t realised she was even awake. “Why?” asked Body “I want to know what they are.”
“Ants! They are Ants and they bite.”
“Do they?”
“Yes and Mummy told me off for playing with them coz they bit my hands and arms and made me cry.”
“Oh dear. Ok well I will leave them alone. Why did Mummy get cross with you? You weren’t to know little one.”
“Coz my little brother got them all over him and he was bitten worser than me and Mummy told me off.”

“What did she say?”
“She said it was my fault my brother was crying. She said it served me right for playing in the dirt and that I should know better. I should take care of my brother.”
“Oh I see” and Body’s face coloured without control at the shame of it. “Do you want a hug?”
“No thank you.”
“Oh Ok but thank you for warning me. Did Mummy put some cream on the bites?”
“No she forgot she was busy.”
“Doing what?”
“Getting them off my brother. They was even in his ears and hair so she put him in the kitchen sink to wash them all away down the plughole.”

“Did your hands and arms hurt?”
“Yes but I went outside to play with my dolls” and Body noticed she had snuck in next to her and was lying close like a little curled leaf against a stem and was falling back to sleep despite the noise of Brains thoughts.
“Mummy was right” said Brain “she was old enough to know better.”
“You don’t know that” said Body “anymore than you know what time it is now, so go back to your noisy thoughts and leave us to sleep.”

“Well said” Spirit called “it’s about time you stood up for yourself. Brain can be such an insensitive idiot and anyway, where was this child’s elder sister who would have known better? Where was this child’s allowance to be a ‘child’? Why was she always to blame? It’s like someone always made her the scapegoat and it makes me angry!”
“Calm down” sighed Soul “we all have our roles to play within the family, we all have good and bad within us, we all have a pre-determined path to follow.”

“Hmm..well if I’d known that I certainly would have avoided this one, the one where we end up in this dark prison with no way out. This cold, miserable, empty Godforsaken place” concluded Brain.

“Do you think you are in control then Brain?” sighed Soul. “Because you are not. Life gives us choices, free will, but after that once we have made a choice they are usually pre-determined.”
“Rubbish!” Brain exclaimed “absolute rubbish. Decisions are made out of experience, education and character not chance or pre-determined.”
“If you say so” sighed Soul “but at the moment I am too lost to argue and I am just going to trust that what will be will be,”
“It’s easier than fighting all the time” agreed Spirit “I am tired of fighting for or against anything anymore. It’s exhausting.”
“Time will heal all of us eventually” whispered Heart “it does not matter how long it takes us or what the time is Brain, let’s be kind to ourselves for once please?”

“Anyway Nana agrees with us and says we will work it out. We should have faith” called Spirit.
“Oh lost her voice has she?” Brain being sarcastic again.
“No I haven’t” Nana quickly stated “but we have been busy discussing this situation and how we may be able to help.”
“Who’s ‘we’?” Brain enquired.

“Your Spirit guides in the higher realm, we do have meetings you know, it’s not coincidence or accidental that people on earth get help from their ancestors, spirit guides or higher self. Whatever you chose to call it. Sometimes the big wigs get involved, Angels, Demons and ultimately God. Incidentally, whether you believe it or not Brain, I have a message from the big boss.”

“Who?”
“God. He says he has not put you in a ‘Godforsaken place’. He has not forsaken you, you just have to believe in him.”
“Oh that’s ok then” Brain retorted “I will rest easier” sarcasm dripping from Body’s lips.

“You should rest easier” Soul sighed “I certainly will.”