Chapter 6 - Homecoming
(Apologies for the delay in getting this up, things have been happening the past few months, and this fic went right on the backburner...)
Sitting in the gigantic shadow of the tree dwarfing the anthill, a chilling silence had descended upon the ant council and the circus bugs.
Too much time had passed. They had drawn a blank on their search for their missing friends. Sure, the rain was no longer a hinderance, but perhaps it was simply too late…
The faces of the ants and the circus bugs were that of knowingness and sadness. No-one felt any confidence to speak, to break the doomy silence.
Francis paced around slowly, scanning the entire island with his eyes, hoping to see some movement, some sign that his friends were OK. His hope, was, however, fading fast.
Finally one of the others spoke. "It's over…they're gone…"
The utter came from Rosie's mouth. Tuck and Roll, residing on Dim's back, sadly nodded in unison to confirm their fears.
The ant council just stood, motionless, trying to come to terms with the events. Dr. Flora was inconsolable, being offered a shoulder to cry on by the kindly Mr. Soil. He too was struggling to contain his emotions.
"This is the worst day in the history of this colony…" murmured Cornelius softly, "perhaps…even worse than when the grasshoppers came…"
Up until that point, a cloud had been covering over the glare of the sun. Suddenly, the cloud moved away, revealing the shining sun's rays.
Slim and Heimlich were also gazing into the distance. The stick insect suddenly squinted and let out a loud gasp.
"Everyone!" he shrilled, "they're alive!"
On hearing this, the other insects hurriedly rushed over to where Slim and Heimlich were standing. Their faces instantly lit up like the glow of fireflies.
"It must be…it simply must be…" chimed Cornelius as the whole group started running towards the familiar silhouettes in the distance.
The next moment was just a scene of total relief and joy as Flik, Atta, her mother, her sister Dot, Manny and Gypsy were reunited with their friends.
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The azure glow of the mushrooms illuminated Flik's face as he stood at the entrance to the anthill, watching the setting sun bidding farewell to the day. His mouth had morphed into a satisfied, relieved smile.
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
The dulcet tones of a certain ant queen's voice prompted Flik to slowly motion round to face her. Both their faces instantly beamed.
"Yeah…" he replied softly, "it is…but there's one thing that will make it breathtaking…and priceless…"
Holding that last word, he gazed lovingly into Atta's eyes. Instinctively, she knew what he meant, and with a smile, the young queen put her arm round Flik's shoulders. Then, bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, they kissed, before watching the skies make their slow journey into the still of the night.
THE END