Looking around, I found myself staring up at another ant. At first, I feared she was another enforcer, although a lifetime of servitude was looking preferable to becoming doodlebug fodder. Thankfully, she seemed to be a worker, identical to myself in every way except for being much shinier. Needless to say, my ordeal had left me coated with dirt that caked my exoskeleton and gummed up my joints.
My rescuer noticed this, too. “My, my, you’re positively filthy! Let’s get you cleaned up.” Before I could react, she ran each of her delicate forelegs through her mandibles before using them to brush over me, much like a mother would lick a finger to tame a stray hair on her child’s head. Meticulously, she repeated the process for different parts of my body. Lick and brush, lick and brush.
It soon struck me as awkward that a female was giving me a full-body grooming, even if she was an ant. So, taking my cues from her movements, I “licked” my own forelegs and did my best to assist. I quickly discovered that the fine hairs along my limbs actually made great cleaning brushes, collecting dust and grime as well as any broom. The licking motion then wiped them off and made them ready for more cleaning. In the end, the other ant finished with my antennae, going over them with extra care, which did make some amount of sense considering how much we used them to communicate.
At last, I was smooth and black again, the sun reflecting off my gleaming form. An odd sort of pride welled up in me, the same I felt after giving the car a fresh layer of wax. I suppose this body did possess a functional beauty all its own, something I had never realized when I was a million times bigger.
“There. Much better,” the ant declared with satisfaction.
“Um, thank you for saving me,” I said. “I thought I was a goner, for sure.”
“I can tell,” the ant giggled. I never knew ants could giggle. “You stink of distress pheromones. That’s what brought me here. Lucky, too, considering we’re out in the middle of nowhere. Say, what are you doing out here by yourself? Are you a scout like me?”
Distress pheromones? When did I do that? Bringing my mind back to the present, I decided to lie. Wouldn’t want to be dragged back “home” like a lost dog. “Uh, sure, I’m a scout.”
The ant almost danced with excitement. “Oh, wonderful! I really haven’t met too many sister scouts. I guess it makes sense for solitary sorts like us, huh.”
A solitary ant? The wonders never ceased. “To be honest, I always assumed all ants stuck in groups.”
“It does feel that way,” the scout laughed. “But if I had to hang around my sisters all day, I’d go crazy! Being out here, I get to explore, discover neat stuff, even face a bit of danger!” Glancing back towards the doodlebug pit, she settled down a little. “Well, perhaps that last part isn’t quite so great. But I get to be by myself and do my part for the colony all at the same time. It’s great!”
“Well, good for you,” I said. “Anyway, I’d better get going.”
“Aw.” The ant’s antennae drooped. “Leaving already? Don’t you want to hang out a bit longer?”
I had to chuckle. “What happened to being solitary?”
“Hey, even I can get lonely sometimes. I’ve been out here for days with nobody to talk to.”
“Yeah, well, I really wish I could stay but I’ve got…more scouting to do. Thanks for saving me. I owe you.” Maybe, I could leave a lollipop out here for them or something.
Quickly, I headed off. Locating my house again, I oriented myself and marched forward. I had barely gone a few inches, or twenty feet for me, when I heard rapid footsteps. A moment later, the ant fell in beside me. Now what?
“I thought I’d accompany you for a while,” she explained.
“You really don’t have to,” I told her, picking up my pace.
She only sped up to match. “It’s no trouble. I don’t want you to fall into more danger. And it’s nice to have help once in a while.”
I sighed. “Look, I’ll tell you the truth. I’m going somewhere you can’t follow. It wouldn’t be right for you, believe me. It’s better if we part ways now and go about our separate business.”
“That’s no problem,” she insisted. “I can escort you as far as I can, and then you can go on alone. Just let me stick around for a little while. I promise not to be a bother. How about it?”
This ant was clearly starved for company, whatever she said. I perked an antenna to rebuff her again, but I paused. Would it really be so bad? What if I ran into another predator? “Do you also promise not to use any mind-controlling pheromones on me?”
The ant clicked in surprise. “What do I look like, an enforcer? I don’t have the glands for that. I’m just a scout. I leave trails for others, but I have no authority.”
“Good to hear. In that case, I guess you can come. But when I say it’s time to part ways, you go. No complaints.”
“You got it.”
Thus, I ended up with a traveling companion.