Do Ants Dream?

Negre was tired, he did not want to work anymore, he just wanted to rest and relax his aching limbs, before he completely collapsed.

In the distance he could hear the chattering of the colony, as they were going about their work, occasionally he thought that he heard his name being called, but maybe it was the wind in the trees.

He tried lifting his head up, but the effort just made him feel more tired, perhaps if he closed his eyes for a while, it would be alright and nobody would miss him for a short time, would they?

Negre started to drift into a deep welcoming sleep and his whole body seemed to become lighter, he settled into a relaxing position and let the feeling of sleep wash over him, like a summer rain.

When Negre woke it was very dark and there was a strange aroma in the air, like the way grass smells when it has been cut. He tried to see where he was, but the darkness was everywhere, all around him.

His sensitive hearing could not detect a single sound; even the normal chattering of the colony was absent, which was very strange because he could always hear them, wherever he was.

Negre wondered how long he had been sleeping, he tried moving his limbs and found them to be very easy to move, without hardly any effort he rose up and walked forward slightly.

His head touched something in the darkness, which made him feel as if he was inside a dark hole; he tried again and immediately jumped back, because whatever it was that touched his head, it was hot.

Negre was now beginning to have a sense of fear, he did not like what was happening to him and wanted to be back with the colony, where he would feel safe again.

He promised himself that he would never, ever wander far away from the safety of the colony again. It was only because he was so very tired that he had stopped to rest.

Suddenly, there was a flash of light and a noise so loud that it made the ground shake below him. Negre could feel a vibration going through his body and a strong wind started to blow.

Negre remained where he was shaking with fear, until he heard the loud noise moving away from him. The light was so bright that he dared not open his eyes to look. He just wanted to escape from where he was.

Then Negre heard a familiar sound, it was the chattering of the colony, he opened his eyes and all around him, he saw what was for him, the normal scene of busy movement as the colony went about their work.

Nobody seemed to take any notice of him; they were all too occupied in what they were doing. Had they not missed him, didn’t they even wonder where he was?

Negre realized that he did not feel tired anymore, in fact, he felt so much better and now he was back in the safety of the colony again, so it was as it always had been.

But where had he been and what had happened to him? What was that aroma and what was the loud noise? Or, maybe it was only a dream.

Negre quickly put the thought out of his mind, he was back that was all that mattered. Anyway ants don’t dream, do they?