536 - Little Egypt
A tiny field ant nest rested on the side of Highway 24 in Utah, located about 30 feet off the shoulder. Compared to other nests, it was well above average. Not only was the location remote, but its views of the striking Utah landscape were unparalleled.
The colony lay amongst a small dune field, where its delightful cone popped out from the sand like a tentacle on a very hot squid. Ants swarmed in and out, driven by the dream to one day be great.
Provided its leadership didn’t fall to corruption, and the colony wasn’t on the blunt end of a freak flash flood, the nest had potential for world world success. Fame, fortune, and everything in-between. The Rolling Stone was already preparing an article.
But the date was July 24th, and that generational wealth wasn’t going to come easily to these eager ants. The universe had its eyes on this hill. The colony was moving too fast. Success was too much of given. It was time to throw a wrench in their plans and see how they reacted. Were they truly destined for greatness?
Rain fell from the sky. A paradox in the Hanksville desert region, where 100°F was the average this time of the year. When rain did fall, it came quickly and without warning.
However the shower was over in about 10 minutes, hardly leaving a mark on the ground that soaked it up like a sponge in heat. The dark clouds faded away into the afternoon sun, leaving behind a brilliant rainbow before disappearing forever.
But little did these field ants know, that about 10 miles down the road, a Prius was hitting record speeds on its way to Little Egypt, a lesser-known hoo-doo landscape about 30 minutes south of Highway 70.
Little Egypt was home to the colony’s biggest rival. Every ant here knew of them- as their history together contains a deep betrayal. But that’s a story for another day.
Suddenly the Prius skidded on the side of the road, sending a rattling earthquake into the hill's intricate network below. Reports had just come in about the distant rainbow, and the Queen was smiling in her throne when the vibration suddenly shook her out of place.
She released a pheromone into the darkness. No direct attacks had been made from what she could tell, but all ants were to remain on high alert. The thin smell of danger trickled through the colony’s webbed corridors.
The driver of the Prius stepped out and was revealed to be a peculiar man in sandals, about 5’11” in height. He had white rimmed glasses, hazel green eyes, a slick haircut, and was fairly attractive. He sported a shirt that read “EXPLORR MORR,” wore black shorts, and had a Garmin watch that said 7:10PM.
Scouting ants sent the intel to the research division. This colony was well-funded, and used the income from winning several regional ant hill competitions to house a full security team. Too much was at stake this far into the game. Next year, they would be competing against other nests on a national level- and eventually world wide. The surrounding land must be protected at all costs.
The report came in quickly. EXPLORR MORR was traced to intricateexplorer.com, where it was made clear that the man was a photographer.
The Queen looked down at the data, then looked back at her team. They’d always heard rumors of adventure photographers, but had never experienced one in person.
“Ready special ops,” she commanded through a rapid series of antenna motions.
The photographer approached the colony, but it was unclear if he was aware of its existence. The quickly fading rainbow was obviously his intention, but the ant hill could be perceived as an excellent foreground.
At least that’s what an old ant muttered in the corner. He was one of the two remaining ants that had been around since the great Little Egypt split. He’d seen a few photographers in his lifetime, and even spent some time studying their ways. Oh, those glorious days. When ants of all different shapes and sizes got along, and humans frequented their land with care.
He knew the human meant no harm. But the Queen ant wouldn’t listen. She hadn’t been around to live through those times. This was modern society, where competition was high, things were unpredictable, and destruction could be at any corner.
The photographer never stepped on the ant hill. He didn’t even go near it. But the Queen’s ops unit was a ruthless bunch of bastards. Hand-picked from the pits of hell and led by the other Little Egypt survivor, the team would stop at nothing to ensure the safety of the colony. Even death.
They sprinted across the foreign terrain, dodging gusts of wind and pushing aside quivering plants. People often wonder where the phrase “...and the ants come marching in” originated from. It was these guys. They were the original runners.
The first ant mounted the photographer’s worn sandal, signaled the coast was clear, and four more jumped on.
The man cursed at the rainbow’s quick disappearance. He then started walking away from the colony, and stopped on the asphalt near the car. He was still unaware of their presence. The lead ant signaled to abandon sandal, the mission was over. Attacking now would be a pointless and dangerous effort.
But one ant hesitated. He was a new recruit that had been in training for years, but had never had a taste of blood. Now was his chance to be a hero- to make his dad proud.
The ant clamped onto the foot, sending a searing pain into the man’s flesh. The ant looked up at his team and smiled. Then he sprayed folic acid into the wound. That was the field ant’s specialty. The greatest attack instrument in Utah ant history.
Panic fell amongst the team. Suddenly the foot kicked and two ants went flying into the desert, never to be seen again. Two others, including the leader, held onto the sandal’s rubber sole. The biting ant was immediately crushed by a hand. The two ants watched in horror as his body crumbled into a contorted shape, struggled for a few moments, then died.
The man quickly hopped into the Prius and hit the gas. The two survivors gripped the underbelly of the sandal, gazing up into car with a strange blend of wonder, terror and sick fascination. They knew their lives would never be the same again.
However, the ants knew from basic training that the effects of folic acid sprayed into a bite were quite painful. By now the man’s foot would be going partially numb. They could only pray to the Queen that he’d step outside again, where they could run free.
The Prius pulled into Little Egypt’s hidden turnoff about 45 minutes later. The man stepped out of the car, took a quick wizz, and proceeded to walk around the valley.
The ants held onto small crevasse under the sole, occasionally moving from side to side to avoid the monstrous crunching of dirt. Then the ant saw something. A grain was stuck in the sole of the sandal, just under the toes. He recognized it- but from where?
The photographer suddenly stopped, presumably to frame an image. The ants seized the opportunity, quickly dismounted the sandal, and scurried off into the desert. The ant looked back and saw this image in the camera’s frame:
“Desert Hurricane”
Taken with Sony a7rIV + Sony 12-24mm f/4 G
[ISO 2000 ~ 12mm ~ f/11 ~ 1/40s] [Focus Stack]
(Want a Print? Get one here.)
“A fabulous piece of art,” thought the ant. And suddenly he remembered where that grain was from- they were in Little Egypt. The land of the betrayed. Shock echoed into his body, and a deep fear began to set in.
The other ant had only heard tales of this stretch of desert. But he, he had once lived here. In fact, he’d been raised here. But now, this land was as good as dead to him.
He looked around, nervously. At any moment the opposing colony would discover their presence. And God only knows how they would react.
As darkness fell upon the land, the two ants took cover in the safety of the wash. A soft scurry echoed in the distance. They huddled closer. Another scurry blistered by. But they could see nothing. The moon was merely a sickle in the night sky.
Suddenly a dozen ants emerged from the cold air and surrounded them. The last thing they saw was a pebble flying towards their heads as they were knocked out cold. Their bodies were dragged along the ragged ground, then disappeared into the black.
To be continued…
I’m on a mission to explore as much as humanely possible.
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