Lullaby

No dia das crianças a inspiração do Thiago
presenteou-nos com esta doce história.

Obrigada, amigo!


Instincts
by Thiago Forrest Gump

It would be a highly challenging task. The deep river laying a
few yards beyond was discouraging even for the bravest ones.
The dawn started growing into night and the moon brought
the coldness to the air. The wind blew hard and drifted some
withered leaves onto the river banks quite slowly though. So
before being caught under pouring rain the army quickly made up
a strategy: some leaves which would serve as skiffs were carried
by everyone, for they had to be taken across the river to the
other bank where the females and their offspring were waiting
for them. Such struggle for survival was carefully watched by
an owl’s scrutiny somewhere up in the trees, it was not easy.

Little by little the water level increased meaningfully and
the army endeavoured extraordinarily to get across the shady
dreary river. Their siblings’ eyes missed no movement while
this final challenge of coming back home took place. The first
ones started coming nearer. There was a trunk which they hoped
could be a bridge. One after the other the leaves were parked
around the trunk and an increasingly concerned ant colony stood
still hoping for all the males to return safely. Nevertheless, one
of the leaves got stuck between two rocks in the middle of the
river. And then when all of them - or nearly all of them - were
out of danger, they realized that someone had been left behind
and that his leaf was falling apart due to the flow strength. The
ant who wore a kerchief on her head was desperately staring at
everything from the other side while running back and forth.
Her sweetheart was the one who was getting drowned. There
was nothing else anybody could do, they could not possibly get
back; they could but watch. Then she tried to jump into the
water but everyone held her against her will.

She yelled and screamed and she got breathless from exhaustion.
And then he jumped out of his leaf making each and everyone
sigh in expectation of a most tragic event. And he sank. He came
up again just to sink anew. And then the river flow took him away
right before everybody’s eyes including the owl’s that stood there
motionless.

She started running as fast as she could to the river edge,
leaping over the stones, crying out for him, and the entire colony
ran after her. Eventually, they found his body floating on its back.
She reached out to touch him. She pulled his face to her. She
kissed his cheeks gently to wake him up. But she could not. Then
he spit water trying to breath, “where am I?”.

She sighed deeply, smiling and crying at one time, “you were
in heaven, and now I, I am in paradise!” and she kissed him
caressing a twin face.


This story was originally published in Portuguese by its author
and it can be read after clicking on the link on top of this post.