When the Locusts’ landed they were praised by the Ants because they thought that the Locusts’ had chased them away purposely, however the Locusts’ being the smarter insect took this opportunity to silence the unhappy Ants’. The Ants were not too clever and thought that they were finally being paid off. So the Ants decided to pay them an extra amount of grain for their heroic rescue. The Locusts’ didn’t mind getting more grain for doing absolutely nothing so they did not tell the Ants anything at all about what they really did.

So, the next month the Ants were much more motivated for harvesting the extra amount, in seeing how brave and useful the Locusts’ were. They eventually gathered up the grain, just, on the 31 of the month. The Locusts’ came as usual and took their grain, but the leader of the Locusts’ stayed behind again to talk to the Queen Ant. He made an agreement with the Queen Ant that they would harvest cherries for the Locusts’, because they wanted to have a party for their cousins the Grasshoppers’, who liked exotic fruit in return the Locusts’ would give them more “insurance” than before. The Queen Ant agreed and when she told her colony they were not very happy, but then she made them remember how they saved them before and promised that now they would be twice as better.

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The harvesting carried on, but the cherries weren’t very easy to get down from the bushes, so for five whole days all the Ants in the colony had to help bring them down. Finally they had got them down, and had also harvested the rest of the grain; they had it ready with about an hour to spare before the Locusts’ would arrive, but then…

There was a screeching sound from above, and to the north there came a Sparrow! A panic hit the Ant hill, every single Ant was running in all directions, even the Queen. The Sparrow had flown south for the winter and had spotted a nice breakfast: the cherries. The Ants had all hidden and watched in fear as the Sparrow ripped their cherries to shreds and feasted as if it had not eaten for days. All the Ants hard work had been wasted, and they had nothing but grain to give to the Locusts’.

The Sparrow at long last had flown away to the south. As the Ants came out of their hiding places to inspect the damage, a troubled feeling filled the Ant hill as they imagined what the Locusts’ would do to them when they arrive.

During the damage inspection there was that familiar sound again, of the humming and buzzing, and then it stopped.

Locusts’ were closing in around the Ants. They had them cornered when the leader of the Locusts’ stepped out of the ring and spoke to the Ants. He told them that after all that the Locusts’ had done for them they still couldn’t do anything for the Locusts’. The Queen stepped out of the crowd and told the leader of the Locusts’ that the agreement was to be ended because they did not like the fact that the Locusts’ did not defend them from the Sparrow. The leader of the Locusts’ rejected this and said that they had to repay them for this with double the amount of grain and cherries for the next four months.

There was a discussion between the Queen and her advisors. Finally they decided not to agree to this and launched a rebellion against the Locusts’. The Locusts’ ended up being circled; they were outnumbered a hundred to one.

The Locusts’ leader cursed the Ants and took off with his troops, vowing to return and avenge this betrayal…

After one whole year without any harvesting, the Locusts’ still did not return.

Bellow are some of my other stories, please check them out and leave comments:

http://authspot.com/short-stories/the-empty-phone-book/

http://authspot.com/short-stories/the-football-field/