Save the City for Sweets

“We have been working for 900 hundred years, and you know, our time is about to come. We have to pass on everything to our colony…”

“Oh no, Antoni…here we go again with your schemes,” remarked Anta-Marie as she rolled her eyes.

“One year after every 364, the giants invade our home and kill our family. I guess they feel remorse because they leave the sweetest, richest treats behind.”

Most of the time when Antoni strategizes, Anta-Marie knows his plans are unrealistic. Typically she would just laugh but this time she leans in. If anyone could make his plan practical, it would be her.

“I remember this day…My mother used to bring our colony the most delicious meal until she…” Silence filled the rest of Anta-Marie’s breath. All six of her legs trembled as chills filled her exoskeleton body.

Antoni knew what she was about to say. Anta-Marie’s mother was the most well-known soldier of them all. She had the record of carrying 25 times her body weight, but it was on the 365th day, she was killed by chocolate cake.

“Antoni?” she asked.

“Yeah?” he replied.

“Nothing compares to the taste of giants’ plates, but you are my best friend. I would rather have us find our seeds than risk your life.”

“I need to leave something behind. Not just a meal but years supply of the best treats. I mean, the generations that come after us need to have food for when the freeze comes. It has only been getting worse and worse…”

Anta-Marie was terrified but respected Antoni’s bravery. She understood that lives are at risk with collecting goods on this day, however, more lives are at risk not preparing for the winter years.

“Antoni, I will help you prepare and create the best army,” she stated with utter confidence. Her voice then cracked “but I cannot come with you. If I see the chocolate cake that killed my mother, I would go into complete shock.”

Antoni nodded and gave Anta-Marie a handshake, “Deal, my friend. Just remember, your mother is remembered as a hero. I wouldn’t dare to do this if she didn’t come before us.”

Anta-Marie and Antoni gathered leaves and used mud ink to advertise to their colony. "Save the City for Sweets" was written on all of the leaves and handed out to ants of 300,000. The whole colony was intrigued, and 50,000 of the bravest ants came together and agreed to fight on the 365th year, which was 7 years away.

Antoni picked four ants to help with the front lines: Antgelica the colony’s strongest, Jantson the colony’s smartest, Ryant the colony’s scariest, and Savanta the colony’s fastest. They were to lead the army into the battle.

The 50,000 ants spent the next seven years building their muscles by lifting sticks, pebbles, and each other. Antoni was so proud of the soldiers and had hoped even when others doubted. He spent extra time with the soldiers in the frontline for them to properly lead the rest of the soldiers.

Even the ants who were not in the army prepared for the fight. They built escape tunnels, chambers to store food, and safety nests for the soldiers to run away from the giants. Everyone was nervous to fight but was ready to win. They came up with a master plan.

June 28, 2020 – Ready for War

0800 —All of the soldiers were in position: under rocks, in the tunnels, and the brave ones were in the cracks of the cement.

1200 —Nothing was happening. They waited for what seemed to be centuries, wondering if maybe they had the wrong year. At this hour, 365 years ago, giants were invading their territory.

1300 —Soldiers waited, listening to the bumble bees’ routine, pollinating the sunflowers.

1500— A few young ants walked home. They were skeptical a day like this day even exists.

1800 —Even the veteran ants raised their doubts.

“Pst. Antoni!” Ryant whispered in a shotty tone, “What is going on?” Ryant was in disbelief, while the other ants mirrored his expression. “You lied to us.” “We wasted 7 years not gathering our own food but training for a lie.” “Are you trying to kill us all?”

“We have some time everybody. The sun is not gone!” Antoni shouted. “Give it a little more time. The giants will come!”

“If we didn’t waste years training we would have saved 12% of the food we needed to survive the winter years. Now, we will have to work harder during the freeze, and our colony might not survive,” Jantson proclaimed in a matter-of-fact tone.

Antgelica and Savanta started to escort the soldiers back home, and before the moon sourced the sky, the army was safe home…except for Antoni.

“Where’s Antoni?” Anta-Marie shouted when the soldiers arrived home.

“He lied to us Anta-Marie.” ”Giants aren’t real,” the ants shouted back.

“HA! He is still in the ‘war zone’!” snarled Ryant.

“You left him!” Anta-Marie cried. “Giants are unpredictable. They might even be there now, and you left Antoni to defend for us all.”

Savanta stepped in front of Anta-Marie, “Listen Anta-Marie,” she said endearingly. “I still respect Antoni, but no one is coming. We waited almost a year. We need to do what’s best for our colony.”

“You are right. We need to do what is best for our colony. We cannot leave him out there alone!”

“We all need sleep so we can be productive tomorrow and make up the time we lost,” Janston remarked.

SURPRISE!!! The colony heard the giants across the yard.

“What does that mean?” The soldiers whispered amongst each other.

“THOSE ARE THE GIANTS, EVERYBODY GET INTO THEIR POSITIONS” Ryant yelled. All the ants scattered from the home base.

June 28, 2020 – The War Has Begun

The giants looked bigger. They look older and uglier than ever before.

1900—This time Anta-Marie has come along. Her mission was to find Antoni, but he was nowhere in sight. The soldiers lined up in positions and found where the giants keep the chocolate cake. It was in the west side of the backyard on a foldable table.

1915—Still no sign of Antoni.

Jantson leads 10,000 soldiers to balance on top of one another. They formed a ladder from the floor to the top of the chocolate cake.

1920—Savanta lead the remaining soldiers to the top of the cake.

1925—Once the soldiers reached the top of the cake, they stood still.

1928—Antoni knee-deep in chocolate icing. “Can you help?” He yelled.

Anta-Marie found him and lifted him out of the icing. “You, my dear, are a hero….just like my mom.”

1930—“Oooo, this is a beautiful chocolate cake. Just look at these sprinkles,” Giant #04 said towering over it. Giant #04 plunged sixteen colorful sticks into the cake and then lit them on fire.

“Giants are weird, they're about to light their food on fire?” Savanta whispered.

1935—The cake was carried to Giant #01, and the rest of the giants sang the same words over and over again, “Happy Birthday.”

"What the heck are they doing?” the soldiers yelled. They had never seen something this chaotic before. “We are going to be lit on fire as the giants sing ‘Happy Birthday' to us?”

The soldiers, including the leaders, were scrabbling and screaming on top of the cake.

This is not the way they wanted to die!

1936—Giants stop chanting.

Giant #01 looks down at the cake,

“AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!”

She throws the cake in the air. It lands on the ground and is perfect-sized chunks for the soldiers to carry home. They grab what they need to survive the winter years and let the giants have a piece of a crumb.