The Ant Story

Sunday morning, last year's monsoons. Pritam, Piyali, their son Pratim and the little one’s grandmother Kabita were present. The family looked worried! Something was gravely wrong! They were not just worried but badly busy. Kabita had spent the lion’s share of her life in this house. But has never come across a problem that seemed to have no solution. Now the neighbors must be wondering, what has kept the entire family on toes when it’s usually a lazy Sunday morning with Piyali waking up late, Pritam peacefully going to the local market to procure the weekly stock of vegetables, fish and grocery. A close look into the rooms revealed, both the husband and the wife were running from pillar to post accompanied with a red and a black ‘Hit’ and the vigor to spray and destroy till the end. It is the usual ‘ant’ story that perhaps is an inherent part of human existence! The entire floor had been infested with ants, and the family seemed absolutely clueless about the reason!

Little Pratim was out with his toy gun, gifted by his aunt last birthday. Since morning, he too had developed the passion to win this freedom struggle! Kabita was walking to and fro with a broom that dated back to the dark ages. This broom used to lie neglected at one idle corner of the mossy half-terrace. Now it worked as the most important weapon, cooperating with the family in driving away the stubborn ants. The warfare went on relentlessly but the success was negligible. The ants were giving a tough fight, simply not ready to leave the battlefield. They could easily outnumber the family of four! Suddenly, Piyali’s mobile rang. Her sister-in-law, Mitali, was on the other side of the phone. It’s the usual ‘Hi and Hello’ at the weekend. Piyali had always been very close to Mitali. 

Hence, the call was a good break for her in the middle of this doldrum. Both started off as they always had so much to share! It was almost 15 minutes and the conversation knew no end. And then there was a shout. It was Pritam! “Why don’t you end the call Piyali and come here right now! All the ants would be gone and we would sit here, lamenting over their narrow escape!” Mitali was kind of curious! What had happened! Usually, her brother-in-law was quite peaceful. Why on earth was he screaming his lungs out, that too on a Sunday morning!

The ant story thus began with a bang! The house was old. It had to get repaired every six months. Nothing much could be done. The ants were terribly lured to the old ceilings, the countless pores all over the red, cemented floor, the thick walls and the dark rooms with little light trickling in through the fifty-year-old windows! Those tiny ants felt secured and comfortable. Hence, small holes were created at several corners with the joint efforts of the mesmerizing family of ants. And they happily resided there with the outside world not ‘hitting’ them ever. Thus, they lived, united. 

Gradually there was a dearth of space as their numbers grew in leaps and bounds and repairs got more frequent in the house. Then, they discovered the cushioned mattress on the bed covered with a clean and white sheet as their next abode. The ants wanted nothing but peace and rest. Biting was operational only when someone would lie down giving them almost no space to move!

 Piyali was sleeping last night when suddenly she felt an irritation. The little one woke up and switched on the bedroom light. And their eyes went big with a battery of ants walking across the white bedsheet like armored soldiers! The final verdict was given by Pritam in the next ten minutes – Sunday would be ‘operation ants’. And therefore, the story goes back to the Sunday morning when the family with frowned faces and raised eyebrows were out on an ‘ant-abolition mission’.

Kabita would boast of her times when the house used to be spic-and-span and hence, ants would not dare to step in! Piyali was upset as she would be at work for hours with practically no time to take care of regular cleaning. Pritam would be frustrated with the state of things in spite of working day and night for a better life. It was only the ten-year-old Pratim who was bubbling with excitement; how these small ants could scare his parents and grandmom when, all the time, these elders would scold him with big eyes! Pritam, Piyali, and Kabita started blaming each other and in no time, the entire family was on the verge of losing nerves, while trying to innovate new techniques in this deadly warfare. The day was about to end and the minuscule ants had almost touched the finishing line to win the trophy! Humans vs Ants…every solution to drive away these ants seemed to be temporary and perhaps futile. 

We must be wondering, how would the story end? Well, every story need not have an ending. And for this story, the ending is definitely not the end of this unique species, who have survived all thick and thins of time, who have lived through generations and have taught us the tenacity to endure and the magic of unity! So let this ant story go on!