Encircled

14 May 2002

This is a short-short story I wrote for a mailing list (lds_writers) I belonged to at the time. The criterion was to write a story starting with "We had to fight them off."

We had to fight them off. At first there was only one, slowly advancing upon us, but then another appeared and another and before we realized it the entire hill was covered with them. We looked frantically for a hole in the approaching wave, even the tiniest chance of an escape route, but the line was solid.

"What'll we do?" The others in our group became pale as they saw the desperation in my face.

One of the old-timers stepped forward. "Don't you know what you're doing? I knew we should never have let a youngster take charge. No experience. No brains. Just a bunch of mush up there and--"

"Wait." Every face turned in expectation. I smiled as bravely as I could and continued. "We only have a few moments left. We can die here as cowards, giving up without a fight, or we can attack them."

"Attack them?" The old-timer lunged at me, but I easily stepped to the side. Two others grabbed hold of him. His eyes blazed as he spat at me. "We have no weapons! They're too big! Fool! Don't listen to him! Do you all hear me? Don't listen to him!"

I heard a whisper in my ear: "Do you really think we can win?" It was one of the youngest members of our group, looking at me with large, fearful eyes.

"Of course," I said. But I knew there was no chance. At least we would die bravely. "Everyone gather together in a circle and face outwards," I shouted.

We scrambled together and formed a rough circle with the strongest on the outside. By this time the enemy was very close.

"Attack!"

It did not take long. We fought ferociously, but the children with magnifying glasses were too much for us. As I watched my fellow ants dying in pain, I tried to cry out for mercy, but the enemy didn't seem to hear. Suddenly there was a blinding light and I became very, very warm.