Tiffany's Tiny Adventure
Chapter 13 Paintings
By: Major144
Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Hova lead Tiffany, Fugax, and Kreela to a fancier looking chamber with many paintings and murals on the walls depicting ants working, building, and fighting off threats like wasps and spiders. The whole thing reminded Tiffany of some trips she and her family had taken to art galleries and museums. The murals were beautiful and the artist must have been very talented. Tiffany felt a new respect to the ants and what they could accomplish. Hova lead the way to a large beautiful mural showing a large angelic looking ant with wings that reminded Tiffany a bit of the Queen, yet different.
"This is the Mother, Tiffany. Long ago she laid the eggs of the first colony and helped create the foundation of our society. All that you have seen was because of Mother." Said Hova.
"So where is Mother now?" Asked Tiffany.
"Not sure, after the colony was setup, she left, but promised her children that one day she would return to us. Legend has it that when Mother returns the skies above us will rain honeydew and will have a great feast and a new age of peace and prosperity." Said Hova.
Tiffany was a little grossed out by the idea of raining caterpillar poop, but she was happy about the other stuff, when Mother returned to the ants. She looked at the mural of Mother and then looked to see a mural that showed a picture of Tiffany terrorizing the ants back when she was human size. The picture was a very good likeness and made Tiffany look like a terrifying monster attacking the ant hill. Tiffany felt a great sense of shame and guilt about her past actions as she walked over to the mural.
"I'm...so sorry. I...didn't realize...what I was doing to you." Said Tiffany as Hova put a hand on her shoulder.
"Hey it's ok. You've realized that now and you have changed." Said Hova with a smile.
Tiffany smiled back feeling less guilty before looking at some more murals that showed a shrunken Tiffany at the ant trial and another showing wasps fleeing the ant hill as Tiffany stood next to a crater. The ants really did work fast with their art! Tiffany wondered what other murals there were and was checking everything out, when she spotted a mural that froze her in her tracks and made her blood run cold.
It was a mural depicting Stan the exterminator! The mural was the exact opposite of the one of Mother. Where Mother was angelic and peaceful, Stan was dark and menacing with black clouds of smoke bellowing from his smiling mouth as he held a sprayer.
"What's that?" Asked Hova.
"That is the Cloudbreather. It's a painting that's been around as long as anyone can remember. I think it's just a make believe creature that is used to scare naughty little ants." Said Hova.
Tiffany felt her heart hammer as she realized that the dark smoke giant from her nightmare was actually Stan and that her mind had been trying to remind her of the exterminator's coming!
"He's not make believe, the Cloudbreather is real! I met him before being shrunk and he is coming here to kill everything!" Said Tiffany looking horrified.
"What?!" Cried Hova.
"When will he be here?" Asked Kreela.
"The day after tomorrow." Said Tiffany.
"We're all going to die!" Cried Fugax.
"Not if I can get him called off." Said Tiffany.
"What do you mean?" Asked Hova.
"If you return me to human size, I can get my Grandma to call the Cloudbreather off. After that you can shrink me back down and I can return back to finding my place in the colony." Said Tiffany.
"Then let's go see Zoc. Hopefully he will see reason to give you the potion to return you to human size. We must move quickly." Said Hova.
With that said the group sped off to see Zoc.
To be continued.