In the morning everyone was stiff, famished, but eager to get back to the Anthill. The millipedes were hitched back up to the wagon and most of the smaller bugs climbed aboard. Finally, the Anthill was in sight.
"Dot," warned Atta as the tiny ant buzzed above the wagon. "It's still too windy to fly."
"No it's not," countered Dot, bouncing in the air playfully. "Woah!" She spun a bit, out of control for a second or two.
"Dot come down," insisted Atta.
Dot regained her balance and pouted at Atta. "I'm fine."
But she wasn't. A few minutes later she was fighting for control again.
"Dot, please come down," said Flik.
This time Dot attempted to comply but a gust caught her and deposited her, squealing but unhurt, in the center of a muddy patch of ground.
Atta allowed herself a smug chuckle. Dot hmphed and buzzed her wings in an attempt to escape the mud. She didn't budge. "I'm stuck," she complained.
The wind was still high so no one was eager to attempt a rescue…save Dim, who was less likely to get buffeted around. "Dim go," he volunteered, and, opening his wings with a roar, took off for the mud patch.
As if in revenge, the wind picked up savagely. A surprised Dim tumbled into the mud only a few inches from Dot and sank promptly to his belly. Dot was able to drag herself to Dim's side and haul herself out of the mud that way. She sat on the big beetle's back and looked guilty.
"Dim," cried Rosie in alarm. "Are you all right?"
Dim frowned, and tried to walk. "Dim stuck too," he pointed out.
P.T. rolled his eyes and threw down the reins. "Fabulous," he grunted. Aside from a few irritated glares, he was ignored.
"How will we get them out now?" whined Clack.
"There," said Manny, pointing to a low branch of the Tree which stretched more or less above Dim. "We can lower a line from that."
"But how do we get to it?" wondered Gypsy. "To climb the Tree we would have to walk quite a distance to the trunk…"
"We won't have to climb it if you could throw the line over," pointed out Francis.
"But how could ve throw it so far?" Heimlich shook his head.
Rosie and Ymri were already weaving their weblines together into a strong rope. "Maybe if it had a weight on it," suggested Rosie.
P.T. jumped down off of the wagon. "For cryin' out loud," he grumped. "Give me that thing."
Ymri blinked at the flea. "Beg pardon?"
P.T. held out a hand impatiently. "I said give me the rope, I'll get it over there. Sheesh."
The other bugs looked at eachother uncertainly.
"I'm a flea, you nitwits!" yelled P.T. "I can jump!"
"Oh!" said several of the bugs, still surprised P.T. would volunteer his services for anything. Ymri handed one end of the rope over and P.T. turned towards the mudpatch.
"Careful, P.T.," said Slim.
"Yeah right," grumped the flea, and he leapt.
Unfortunately P.T. overestimated the jump. Or the others paid out far too much line. Or maybe it was just the wind shear. In any case, P.T. wound up jumping well over the branch and plummetting into the mud, disappearing entirely.
"Ouch," chorused Tuck and Roll.
Dot reached out and grabbed hold of the dangling line, and managed to yank P.T. free of the mud. The ball of mud that was once a flea clung to Dim's back and sputtered. Thankfully none of his comments were coherant.
The tiny princess climbed up to Dim's head and held the rope out so the beetle could get it in his mouth. Then the other bugs lined up along the rope and pulled until Dim could climb onto dry ground.
"Thanks P.T.," Dim grinned at the flea, who was flaking the dried mud off of himself as best he could. P.T. humphed.
"There they are!" cried a voice in the distance. It was Dr. Flora, standing at the entrance of the Anthill. She waved excitedly.
Flik and Atta grinned and waved back. "I have an idea," said Flik, "Let's go home."
Atta smiled. "Your best plan yet," she winked.
