The Maginot Line
Illustrations by Richard H. Fay, Story by Doug Hilton
Bbod was looking for food in Professor Julia Reynaud’s lab – that is the nature of ants. Bbod found some tasty goo on the counter top and promptly deposited a pheromone spot that declared “FOOD HERE”, and then she headed for the hive with a sample. It wouldn’t be long before her sisters came along and stocked up with this delicious stuff. Professor Reynaud was in another lab, discussing her ideas on nano-machines. She had some that were the size of red blood cells. She claimed that the results of her experiments showed that Alzheimer’s patients improved brain functions at least 10% with her nano-machines. Julia didn’t know that ants were taking samples of her work product to their hive, as she spoke – too bad she didn’t clean up yesterday’s spill very well.
Chapter 2.
Ants in a hive are all sisters. The queen lays eggs that hatch into females, so she is the mother and sister of all. Once in a while, a male drone is born, but they only live for a day, and mate on the wing, so they don’t count. Queen Bloo founded this nest and cared for it for the past year, and it thrived. Her sisters smelled Bbod when she came home with a sample of good stuff. Her pheromones proclaimed “VICTORY IN FINDING FOOD” – and the hive sent hundreds of sisters to help gather the food. After a long hike by the sisterhood of Queen Bloo, Professor Reynaud’s counter top was cleaned off pretty good, and the hive was bedded down for the night.
The Queen never slept that night – she was trying to figure out how to stop the raiders from the hive that was just to the South. “Those dratted fools have raided us for the last time. I’m tired of their wars. We’ve lost enough sisters, and we’re going to fight back!”, she said firmly. She sat there sucking on the new goo, and found it tasty. She deposited a “THANKS Bbod” pheromone nearby, so that in the morning all of Bbod’s sisters would thank her.
Chapter 3.
Queen Bloo woke up with a startling idea: She would build a defensive system to keep out the raiders. It had never occurred to her before – they could actually keep invaders out by building a system of defenses that could not be penetrated. “COOL”, she deposited. Why hadn’t this occurred to her before? Never mind. She deposited a “GUARDS COME HERE” pheromone and her sisters came to hear her plan.
“We are always in danger from South hive”, she began. “I have decided to build a line of static, defensive outposts between us and them. If we erect dirt fortifications, obstacles, and put our biggest, strongest sisters at strategic points, then we will be able to stop them cold. We will add communications systems so we will all know when a raid starts. We will all be safe, then.”
All the sisters deposited “COOL” pheromones and rushed around, waiting for orders. Most of them had feasted on the delicious goo from yesterday, and they were feeling mighty perky. The sisters self-organized into units, in order to do the Queen’s bidding. Some teams started building a fortified line, about 1 meter away from their home, and facing the South hive. Other sisters put together scraps of leaves and twigs, and decided upon a code. Oak leaf held high means an attack is imminent. Sumac leaf waving means send more sisters. Dandelion fluff means attack. Why didn’t they think of this before?
Chapter 4.
Between World War I and World War II, a French minister of defense, André Maginot devised a similar plan. France erected a line of concrete fortifications, tank-stoppers, artillery ports, places for machine guns, and a series of signals. France was sure that by constructing a barrier between itself and Germany that they would gain enough time to mobilize in case of invasion. They also figured that the Germans would think that it was easier to attack Belgium instead. They were thinking of World War I, when it was easy to build a fortification system to keep out invaders. Trouble was: this was a new world, and Hitler was a determined foe. The Maginot Line did cause Germany to invade Belgium, but then they fought fiercely at the strongest point in the line, Fort Eben Emael, and broke through. Hitler was not going to be denied manifest destiny.
Chapter 5.
Queen Bloo was excited and ready. She sent some of her biggest guards out to the new defensive line. “DEFEND”, she deposited. They clicked their feelers together and deposited “HOO-AAH”, and climbed up the rock towers. In the distance, they could smell the pheromones of the Southern invaders – but this time the sisters were ready!
The morning sun brought the invaders by the thousands. They smelled the new goo last night, and they wanted some if it right now. This was a serious raid. The sumac leaves waved. The battle was nigh.
Janie Moore was playing on her swing and laughing her brains out. When she swung so high, it was so much fun! Her sister Julie pushed her higher and higher. When she stepped back, Sister Bodo, who was a guard, just doing her job, stung Julie on her heel. Man! Did that Hurt! Julie ran into the house, crying. Janie stopped swinging and went inside – it was time for Sponge Bob.
Janie’s mom cleaned up her heel with soap and water, and then sprayed on Bactine. “I’ll tell your father to take care of it tonight”, she said. “Those darn ants are everywhere.”
The battle was raging when dad got the news about Janie. He was pissed off – those darn ants were everywhere. It was worse since global warming became a factor, he decided. He picked up the Ortho sprayer from the garage and went to the back yard. He saw quite a scene: ants from two hives were fighting, by the thousands, on top of a one-inch high mound of dirt about 1 meter long. It was very weird. He didn’t know that ants could make patterns like that. He saw some of the ants waving flowers or leaves. He saw a regular line of pebbles, almost like they had erected it on purpose (?). He pulled the lever and sprayed. He decided that he’d nuke both nests, because he didn’t want his girls bitten again.
(Author’s Note: obviously there is no Chapter 6.)
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Genres: Fiction. Authors: Doug Hilton, Richard H. Fay. Form: Flash Fiction, Illustrated. Length: 1000 words. Editor who accepted this story: Previous Editors.
Author Bio
Abandoned Towers Content: A Brief History of the Internut American Microbes Behind the Barn Cul de sac Deflationary Universe – Scenario 1 Error 404 , Sock Not Found Hero Holy Cow One Man’s Trash Pleonasm Purple Rain Smileys Song of the Quasar The Billboard The Last Ride The Maginot Line Tinnitus Trip to Earth: Final Report of Ambassador Kla’atu War Story
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Author Bio
Richard H. Fay is a published artist, illustrator, poet, and writer of non-fiction, as well as an amateur medievalist, folklore nut, fan of classic speculative literature, and avid reader of true tales of the supernatural and the unexplained.
Abandoned Towers Content: Cosmic Journey Demons of the Dark Nebula Galactic Road Trip Gothic Window Holiday on Phreetum Prime Infiltration Mother Earth’s Children Nanomite 323 Purple Rain Selected Scifaiku Sorcerous Evolution Speculative Poetry: Past, Present, and Future Temporal Crack The Banshee’s Cry The Birth of Sentience on Aggraboth V The Era of Faeries and Dragons The Faces The Haunted Isle The Maginot Line They’ve Come for me Again Things in the Swamp West Dingleton’s Loss of Humanity When Wizards Dream at Night Worrying
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