Before making the call to Harold, Melissa had been convinced that the events that were transpiring were too extraordinary for Psyche and her to handle by them selves and they could do with all the help that they could get.
But, on hearing Harold’s voice she realized that there was no way in hell she could explain what had happened without sounding like a loony bin.
“Harold here” A deep male baritone spoke on the other end of the line.
Clearing her throat Melissa spoke “You better come here as soon as possible.”
“Who am I speaking to? Dr Baggett is that you? Has something happened?” the concern was evident in his tone.
Opening a canvas bag Melissa took out two valium pills. Gulping one down without water, she spoke, “Yes, something has happened but Psyche is fine. I can’t explain over the phone so will you please come here ASAP?”
“Fine, I’ll be there by eight in the morning. Meet me at the air strip.”
Praying that she had done the right thing, Melissa walked down the stairs in deep thought and received a big shock when she entered the kitchen. The place was swarming with red ants and Psyche was sitting on top of the kitchen table.
“What the….?”Melissa stared at Psyche in astonishment.
Psyche scooted to the center of the table and picked up a banana from the fruit tray.
Peeling the fruit, she took a bite and munched it.
Melissa shook her head and asked “The place is swarming with ants and that too in the middle of the night. What in the name of heaven is going on?”
Taking one last bite from the banana, Psyche squashed the rest of the banana, threw it on the floor and watched it get swarmed by ants.
“Hey, don’t distract my workers.” A voice spoke up, making Melissa nearly jump out of her skin.
“Who spoke just now?” Melissa looked around the empty kitchen.
Psyche gave a mischievous smile and said “Oh that was the queen ant who is sitting on the apple on the fruit tray.”
Melissa gave her a ‘have you gone mad?’ look, to which Psyche laughed and said “You better prove it to her or else she might lock me in the nut house again.”
Melissa saw an insect rise from the fruit tray and fly towards her. Stunned she watched the insect settle down on her shoulder and said “Hi Melissa glad to meet you.”
Unable to believe what was happening Melissa stuttered “I need to sit down.”
The voice of the queen ant spoke up “Sorry Melissa, my workers are all around the place and I don’t want you to step on them.”
Melissa looked at an ant on her shoulder and said to Psyche “This is no time to play games with me, how are you doing this?”
Psyche sighed and said “I told you she wouldn’t believe me.”
The voice from Melissa’s shoulder spoke up and said “Maybe if I bite her she will realize.”
Shocked, Melissa squeaked out “No there is no need for that I believe you.”
Then under her breath she muttered “Anyways I have seen enough to put me in a loony bin, first I met Cupid’s mother and now a talking ant. That’s enough material to put me in straight jacket.”
The ant queen chuckled and said “No you have it all wrong. Let me explain, there was a time when most of you humans could speak to us as your species knew that they were no different from us and treated the creatures of the earth at par. But then arrogance set in and only a few of your people could talk to us like the shamans, the African priests and other religious heads of the tribes in various parts of the world. But the modern world has shut the minds of the humans to anything that may lie beyond their own limited thinking.”
Psyche laughed and said “You mean to say we can’t look beyond our own nose.”
The insect flew back to the table, settled down a pear this time and answered “Exactly and what an arrogant nose it is. You humans think you are the masters of the earth whereas your species is as much at the mercy of nature as we are. We all are equal in the grand scheme of the universe.”
“Who would have thought such pearls of wisdom would come from an ant?” Psyche said in a dry voice.
Melissa rubbed a shaking hand on her forehead and said “I’m still trying to comprehend what’s happening I feel like Alice in Wonderland.”
Taking pity on her psychiatrist, Psyche began to explain “A little while ago while I was putting the grains back in the sack I began to cry and who could blame me? This task obviously couldn’t be accomplished and I was going die in some horrid manner. It was then that I heard the voice of the queen ant who had settled down on my shoulder. She told me that she owed a friend a favor who had sent her over to help me out and her workers were going to count the grains and once done they would let me know the total number of grains in the sack.”
Smiling down at the pear she continued “I thought I had really gone mad but then I saw a splash of red crawl out of a little crack on the floor next to you.”
Melissa shifted away from the doorway uneasily and saw a train of ants going back and forth from a crack in the wooden floor.
Psyche continued talking “I was told to take out all the rice from the sack and carefully lay it all on the floor and they would count it as they took it back to their home.”
Melissa raised an eyebrow and asked “So, you worked out a deal? Who is the good Samaritan who sent you?”
The ant remained silent and Melissa sighed and said “I can’t believe I was talking to an insect.”
Psyche laughed and said “Imagine if you told my dad that insects could talk. He would admit us both to the institution.”
Melissa felt a pang of guilt and decided to tell the truth to Psyche. Straightening her back she told Psyche “Your dad is coming here tomorrow.”
Psyche slid off the table and stared at Melissa “What? My father is coming here? You have got to be kidding me!”
Crossing her arms under her breasts Melissa answered in a low voice “I called him up when I went to my room to change. I was scared for you and thought he help us through the situation.”
