Node Daily Writers Wednesday, March 2, 2011 Topic: hallway

They call it a “hallway,” I call it “my first journey.”  The giants take it in a few short strides.  My goal is to span it’s length without dying.

I’m a new soldier ant.  I’m training to be a scout.  It’s a pretty select group, only the best can join.  But if you make it, you can stand out.  That’s all I really care about.  It’s so difficult to be in this colony, and just walk around as one of thousands.  I want to be something memorable.  I want to be like Cinco Bravo, the 5-legged scout from seven seasons ago.  He brought back info on the greatest treasure trove of crumbs, crumbs of what the giants call “Goldfish”, that our colony has ever seen.

And being a scout isn’t just about finding good food, or warning the colony of an attack.  It’s about coming back with a plan.  It’s about finding the food, and the safest route to and from it.  It’s about seeing the enemy, and knowing what they plan to do.  Being a scout is the greatest thing a soldier like me can do.

I plan to do it.  And this is my test.  The “hallway.”

Node Daily Writers Tuesday, March 1, 2011 Topic: Detroit

“Look, we’re not doing anything wrong.”

“That’s just it.  We’re not doooing aaanything!”

“Hey, he put himself in this position.  Why should we have to help?”

“Because he put himself in this position FOR US!  If we hadn’t asked for it, if we hadn’t acted like we wanted him to continue, he’d be fine right now.”

“Well, he knew it was wrong.  And he probably knew the consequences, so – “

“ – Horse shit! How could he have known the consequences any more than we did?!”

“I don’t know! Ok?  Jeez.  I just…I dunno.  We can’t do anything to help him, or it would drag us down.  It sucks that he’s the one suffering the consequences, but that’s what we’re left with now.  We’ll just have to look at this as…a time of learning.  See?  There’s always a bright side.”

“Yeah, tell that to him while the disease eats away at his body.  See if it comforts him to know that he’s nothing more than an example now.  Great idea.”

They knew using telepathy to get what they wanted was wrong.  They knew prolonged practice of going ‘bigger and better’ would eventually destroy the body, causing it to devour itself from the inside out.  But they also knew their friend could control minds like nobody else.  They knew he was one of the best assets their little community had.  And they pushed him to do what he did best, and get them what they wanted.  Then, when it had gone too far, they stepped back and let him take the blame.  And the pain.  And they did nothing.