FOUR AGES

“Daaad!”

“Oh, no. Oooh, no, Figlio. No more scary bedtime stories for you. I still haven’t recovered from that night about two years ago when you had me tell you the story of ‘the raven and fox’ three times and then wouldn’t sleep in your bed for a week because you were so terrified.”

“No, dad, you know I was only six back then, but I’m eight now.”

“Does that mean you’ll go to sleep in your bed and not in between me and your mom tonight?”

“I promise! And I want to hear about the Emerald Wasp!”

“Oh, you know that one?”

“Everyone does. My friends are fans of the Emerald Wasp and his zombie minions.”

“Hmm... He’s not exactly a nice figure to be a fan of.”

“The Emerald Wasp’s fake, Dad. He doesn’t exist. But please tell me about him and his army?”

“Sure, sure.”

…

FOUR AGES

THE DRONE ANT AND THE EMERALD WASP

Written by: Isabel Chiwibel (Fiverr name @Chiwibel)

Edited by: Celina Mike (Fiverr name @Celinawrite)

Seasons ago, not all those who dwelt above and below the ground were beings of flesh and blood. There were, of course, insects and they were all made of cogs and oil, their bodies evolving to become more intrinsic, complicated, and advanced. If you were to cut one in half, they could easily reassemble themselves and continue to work or fight. What would be considered a mortal wound for those who possessed a beating heart was a mere flesh wound to an insect.

Some of these insects evolved steadily, developing colonies to work as units, finding strength in numbers for survival. Among these were the ants, who worked together in many different tasks and were individually defined by specified roles they performed within the colony. They were created with a specific task ingrained inside their metallic brains and an expiration date engraved where a heart should have been. There were rumors however that certain insects created mechanical hearts and replaced their preset expiration-date-box with these complex, mechanical organs of fate. But all ants are repulsed at having such a thing within their chest because it is strictly forbidden.

Drone Ants were brought into the world to create more offspring with the Queen, as their central core had to be torn apart and used to fuel dozens of new workers. Only the Queen was powerful and capable enough to handle the multiplication process without damaging the developed core of a Drone Ant. Once it was extracted, the empty yet still living drone would be exiled from the colony, his work done, and life deemed complete.

One day, a lonely Drone Ant whose central core had been taken by his Queen found himself lost in the terrifying Eastern Deadland. Most ants stayed away from this place because it belonged to the cruel Emerald Wasp and his swarming army of cockroach zombies.

With nothing left to lose and the cold winter winds coming in from the north, the Drone Ant traipsed across the Emerald Wasp’s kingdom of death and despair. Nothing green grew there except for metal buildings and weird machines that twisted upwards like a steel forest, clawing toward the merciless golden orb in the center of the distant, clear blue sky. The Drone Ant stumbled through the dense metal growth, with only his blue, sizzling stinger protruding from one of his right arms for protection.

With his slowly depleting energy resources, the Drone Ant eventually passed out. While unconscious, he was dragged into the Emerald Wasp’s lair by two zombie cockroaches. When the Drone Ant regained consciousness much later, he found himself in a wide, dusty room full of cables, tubes, and a throne set in the middle. The roaches looked at him with unseeing, zombified eyes, blurry and unfocused. The Drone Ant gasped and stood with difficulty, fighting against the rust that had started taking over his joints.

“Come, small one,” said the Emerald Wasp with a booming voice, “you may approach my throne and share with me what crossed your mind when you dared to enter my domain.”

The Emerald Wasp was immense, possessing many limbs, but strangely enough, appeared to be tired. The sight of his heavy eyelids and head hanging low surprised the Drone Ant. He wasn’t particularly hardworking but had enjoyed enough free time within his colony to develop a tricky mind.

“I want nothing more than shelter for the winter, Master Wasp. My body requires no sustenance, and my days will soon end. Would you allow me to spend my last moments in peace, away from the freezing season that’s fast approaching?”

The Emerald Wasp laughed throatily, cogs and gears grinding and turning. He asked the Drone Ant to gaze at his monumental army of zombie roaches, which he’d been amassing to take over the ant colonies in the west this coming spring. Then, he asked the Drone Ant how his military strength compared to that of the ant-Queens of the West, who had time and time again ignored his messages and requests for their peaceful submission.

The Drone Ant scanned the many zombie roaches. An idea popped into his mind. “From my assessment, you’ve raised an army about one thousand strong; that’s impressive. But how will you face the ten colonies in the west who can put ten legions on the battlefield against you? You’re short nine thousand soldiers, my Lord. How will you raise that many during the short winter, when you must rest to gather your strength for spring? Surely, you jest. Tell me, Master Wasp, with all due respect, what have you been doing this past summer? Do you mean to tell me that raising this tiny force drained you of all your energy? I’ve heard tales of your infinite power; have I heard wrong, my Lord?”

“They are nothing but the truth!” said the Emerald Wasp angrily. He stood furiously from his throne and made his way to the drone ant, erratically hovering over the floor with his wings. The Drone Ant noticed that the wings creaked loudly, and when the Emerald Wasp came to stand above him, he looked exhausted from the efforts of his short flight. He raised his arms with great effort, and pure energy crackled around his fists. “Now watch me, puny ant, as I raise an army that will terrorize the ant colonies of the west!”

From both his raised fists, energy leapt like lightning bolts and struck the ground, and stone zombie cockroaches began to rise from out of the ground. The Emerald Wasp laughed, and he used the full measure of his powers, holding nothing back in reserve. However, he quickly realized too late that he’d far exceeded the limits of his power, and the energy dissipated from his fists; he watched with eyes that drooped from fatigue as the zombie roaches he had been raising remained half-buried and lifeless in the ground.

The Emerald Wasp never saw the Drone Ant’s stinger coming as it pierced the Wasp’s torso and sent his central core into override. Soon, the Emerald Wasp’s internal functions overheated, and he fell to the ground with one long and pained mechanical scream. As he fell, the zombie roaches around the room crumbled to the ground, forming piles of debris all over the dusty lair.

Had the Emerald Wasp paid much closer attention to his low energy, he would have wisely kept a small reserve and used it to raise a forcefield around his body. This small act would have successfully shielded him from the ant’s stinger. But in his greed, he had foolishly depleted all his energy.

The exhausted Drone Ant made his way to the throne and sat; he carefully stored his last remaining energy reserve while entering hibernation mode to wait out the winter. Maybe he’d have better luck during the Spring. He could gather some material in the Eastern Deadland to build himself, what a normal ant would never do, a mechanical heart. The Drone Ant would replace his ingrained expiration-date-box with this life-giving organ. Although he no longer had a colony, and his main duty to his Queen was completed, he could still live a long, fruitful life on his terms until the gears of his mechanical heart stopped turning.

…

“Dad! I asked for a tale where the Emerald Wasp won! Not one of him being defeated by an… an… an ant!

“Well, Figlio. No one is too big or strong to forget the need for rest. The Emerald Wasp could have decided to delay his attack plans and rested during the winter.”

“So, because of his greed, he overexerted himself?”

“Correct. He forgot the most important thing: there’s a time for work and a time to rest, and both are equally important. Now, never be too greedy to rest, Figlio. You know it will always come back to bite you in the tail if you’re not careful.”

“And if I’m careful?”

“Then you won’t be greedy and find your perfect balance.”

The End! Stay tuned for the next Fable next week!

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