Spot the Pot
Angry Ant
Posted by Rabbit (Richmond, United States) on 13 June 2008 in Landscape & Rural.
Its late afternoon and quite warm outside. I walk between buildings and listen to the crunch of leaves under my step as I go along. Holding my pink pinhole camera Little Wings I look for something interesting to point the shutter towards. I find this tree stump with an opening as if a little troll would come out and greet me with a question of why I was photographing his door. I set the camera down infront of this opening and take off the shutter cap - counting 1,2,3,4... continuening with my count I notice a big RED ant he's crawling fast - I immedately look about my feet in a panic, for I am flooded with a memory.
My memory from long ago when I was no more than a few feet tall walking along the edge of the water where my parents were nearby fishing. I see this MASSIVE hill - a hill that was at least as tall as me. I stop where I'm at and with a squatty stance I stare - I stare at this hill because it appears that the outside is moving. I realize they are ants - tons and tons of ants - I just stay where i'm at and stare. I suddenly feel like something is burning me - like hot water is being poured on my legs. I yell out with a waahhhh - ahhhhh - tears are streaming down my face. My parents look up from their relaxing position over by the fishing poles, my Mother is the first to get up and come running toward me. To wonder why I had such a frightening yell. I'm crying to hard to tell her whats wrong, but apparently she is one smart cookie, she must have seen the ants near my little feet. She quickly scoops me up away from the spot and at the same time strips my britches from me. I can only then remember getting swatted with my britches - not as if i had been bad, but as if brushing away this awful burning thats happening to my little legs.
That was my first encounter with South Carolinas Red Ants and my last if i can help it.
As I remember what happend to me so long ago - i feel my count get faster as if that is really going to make the pictures exposure go any quicker. I get to around 300 which i'm sure was only about 4 minutes instead of 5 minutes that this photo really needed. I quickly put the shutter cap on and do a quick once over to make sure the camera has no red ants to get mad at me later. I scoop up my camera and hastily get away.
Remembering Red Ants,
rabbit
