It took them some time, until they finally reached the other side of the pond.
The shore was loamy, and just a short distance away was the entrance to Ritsuko's cave.
Shinji went ahead, and Asuka and Misato followed him.
"Hello!" he shouted. "Ritsuko! Are you home?"
"Sure am," her voice welcomed them. "Come in, come in!"
They met her in the big main chamber. Ritsuko was a big stag beetle, although as a female, she had no antlers, just a small pair of scissors.
"Well, nice to see you again," she smiled. "And what's this? An ant? Well, as long as the manners are correct, everyone is welcome here."
"Hello, Ritsuko!" Shinji smiled. It had been a long time since they had visited the older beetle in her home. Ritsuko was famous around the pond for her incredible knowledge and wisdom... and some say she is also quite popular among the male stag beetles...
Shinji knew her since he was a small meal worm, because she had been friends with his mother, before she passed away. Ever since she had supported him... morally, but also by giving him good advices.
Ritsuko went into one of her storage caves and brought her visitors some food. She gave Asuka a long, white root and Misato a small, red berry.
Shinji received a small, rolled up leaf, which contained a strange, white powder.
He looked at it curiously. "What's that?"
Ritsuko smiled. "Well, taste it!"
He took a bite... and instantly felt ecstatic. That was the best stuff he had ever tasted in his life.
"That's flour," Ritsuko grinned when she saw Shinji's thrilled expression. "A flour beetle that doesn't know what flour is..." She laughed out loud.
So, that was flour? Shinji couldn't get enough of that taste. The taste of the plain wood flour from his stump was nothing compared to this... He was very disappointed when the leaf was empty.
Later, when they had all finished, Asuka told their older friend about the red-striped egg, her plans to hatch it, and how the ants of NERV had stolen it.
Ritsuko thought long about it. "Well, this really is a curious story... and I would like to know myself what kind of egg it could be... But, I must say, breaking into an anthill... That's very dangerous, kids!"
"We know that," Shinji replied. "That's why we came to see you. We thought you might have a good idea..."
Ritsuko tapped her chin. "Well, now that I think about it... I just might have what you need."
"Really?" Asuka asked hopefully. "What?"
"Wait a minute..." Ritsuko scurried back into another one of the back caves and brought some weird-looking bottle that was filled with some colorless liquid.
"I once found this when I was visiting the garbage place of the humans," she explained. "I think it is an effective sleeping drug... just pour that into the corridors of the anthill, and they will fall asleep, giving you enough time to get in and fetch that egg."
Asuka and Shinji suspiciously looked at the bottle. "Are you sure this will work?"
"Well, I had no chance to test it yet..."
"I don't know..." Shinji murmured. "What if that stuff is poisonous? That sounds kinda risky, don't you think?"
Misato had just been sitting in a corner of the cave and listened to the conversation between the three other insects. But now she gave off various hissing noises.
"What did she say?" Asuka wondered. "Too bad we can't understand her..."
"She just said she wants to go into the anthill and fetch the egg," Ritsuko explained.
The others were stunned. "You mean you actually understand what she says?" Shinji asked.
Ritsuko smiled. "Of course! She said she wants to go back into the anthill and act like nothing had happened." Misato said something else, so Ritsuko waited and translated afterwards: "She wants to wait for the right moment and, when no one would look, she wants to steal it."
"But why would she do that?" Asuka asked. "She could easily betray us, right?"
After hearing that, Misato said something to Ritsuko that sounded almost like pleading.
"I think you can trust her," the stag beetle said. "From what she told me, the two of you saved her life, and now she has a debt of honor to pay. She said she had decided to stay with you... Back in NERV, she had no real friends, and she felt like she was only a tool for her superiors and the queen. She has searched for a good way to get out of that system, and now is her big chance."
"Well, if she's that serious..." Shinji murmured. Then he smiled. "Okay, welcome aboard, Misato!"
"You can't have enough friends," Asuka smiled. The female ant cheered with shrill whistles and hisses.
They decided to spend the rest of the night at Ritsuko's. The next morning, they would navigate their boat back over the pond, and go to the anthill.
Before they went to sleep, Ritsuko told them various stories about the humans. Shinji was especially curious about the white flour, and how the humans were producing it. And Ritsuko told him about the big mills of the humans, and how they would use the flour to make bread.
Yes, Ritsuko really knew much about the world...
See other episodes by Shritistrang
(Posted Mon, 16 Oct 2006 17:30)
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