The Ant

The ant was tired and full. Now, walking along the rocky ground, he reflected on his recent feast of cherry popsicle. It was busy and the line-up was long but it was worth it. Cherry was his favourite.

It sure is hot today, he thought to himself, I really wish it would rain. At that moment, as if some higher being read his thoughts, the first water drop fell to the ground. He looked at the large ball of water quivering in front of him and he remembered that he doesn't like rain. As the water covered the ground he began to float. I don't know where this water will take me, he thought, hopefully to another cherry popsicle.

A giant watched the ant as he floated away. He was glad that the ant could swim.

He put down his garden hose because he was done watering his patio. His mother would be happy with his work. She always told him to clean up after himself.

A crow cawed, the giant looked around. There was another sound. He listened closer, his hearing was acute and powerful. It was a girl's voice, she needed help.

Never one to back away from trouble, the giant grabbed his trusty three-wheeled steed and pedaled off to save the girl. This giant was a prince. He was the gracious ruler of the Flying Kingdom.

He found the girl crouching by a tree covering her eyes. He recognized her immediately, this was the princess of a neighbouring kingdom! "Aha!," he cried out, "I have found you, Princess! You'll be safe with me!"

"I am not a princess!" the princess replied, glaring at the prince through the spaces between her fingers. "I am a dentist!"

"You can't be a dentist," said the prince to the dentist-princess. "Princes don't save dentists."

"I don't need you to save me" She replied. She recovered her position and continued her strange dentist-princess ceremony.

The prince was staring curiously at the dentist-princess, when the dragon appeared from behind the tree. The dragon was the most feared creature in all of the Flying Kingdom. Mothers would tell their children stories of its terrific power, its horrifying gaze, and its eardrum bursting roar.

He approached the prince slowly, ready to breathe fire at any moment. The Prince was frozen in place. He had never felt such fear in his life. He could only watch as dragon arched it back, raised its long tail and puffed its chest. The prince braced himself for the searing pain that he knew would soon engulf him.

"Meow!" came the voice of the dragon as it released its fiery fury. The dragon's call was more horrifying than the prince had ever imagined. He fell to the ground defeated and could only look up at the darkening sky. If I never get up, at least I fell to a worthy adversary, he thought.

The dentist picked up the dragon and gave him a hug. "Thank you," she said, "for defeating that evil prince for me."

"Meow," said the dragon and wriggled in an attempt to free itself.

The dentist loomed over the scorching prince. "Teddy and I have decided to get married. If you get up you can come to our wedding."

So, the dragon's name was Teddy. The prince suspected it must be short for Theodore. It was not uncommon for dragons and dentists to wed in Flying Kingdom. Not being one to turn down a wedding invitation, the prince rose, dusted off his shorts and followed the the happy couple to the wedding.

Sitting in the audience of the beautiful ceremony the prince gazed at the sky once more. It had darkened further, the festivities would soon be coming to a close.

No one saw the meteor coming. The prince jumped to attention at the impact. The first meteor was followed by a second and then a third, and they showed no signs of stopping. Luckily, this prince was an astronaut and knew exactly how to deal with meteors.

The astronaut needed a tool to control the situation. He needed a tool that was red and cold, but he had clumsily dropped his to the ground earlier that day and watched it melt away. This, however, would not dissuade him from fulfilling his duty to his kingdom. It is well known that one does not get to be the gracious ruler of Flying Kingdom without having learned a thing or two about being resourceful.

He jumped from meteor to meteor never touching the ground between them. He was looking for something, something that could ward off this catastrophe, and that's when he felt the first bite.

He was wrong in assuming that this was merely a shower of meteors, these were alien ships, and they were releasing their passengers: tiny flying robots. They would take blood samples and use them to clone the citizens of Flying Kingdom when they returned to their own planet.

He felt the pain of the bite and saw the little red dot appear on his skin. That was one bite too many, this had to end now! But, how could he stop this invasion?

The dragon! He needed to find Teddy! The mighty fury of his terrifying cry would be enough to halt any invasion and cause immediate retreat. Where could that dastardly dragon be?

With his amazing astronaut eyesight, which was just as good as his giant-hearing, he spotted him close by, licking his paw. The astronaut launched him self into the air, feeling as if gravity was left behind, reminiscent of his time spent on Mars. Before the dragon could comprehend the situation the astronaut had grabbed his tail and the monster let out a roar. It shook their surroundings and left silence in its wake. The robots were defeated.

The hero collapsed on the ground, facing the sky once more. The darkness was almost complete, as he watched the robots retreating above him. The amazing power of the roar must have caused some to catch fire because lights like stars were dancing before his vision.

He heard a sliding door open and a voice say, "Come inside! It's time for your bath!"

He picked himself up and began his journey home. He was careful not to step on the ant that crossed his path on his way to the door.