The Back Story

The Back Story

The young ants were playing. They’d found a flower that was perfectly level, unusual and very exciting for the ants. It was a tall Daisy and they were using it as a trampoline! Lining up along the white petals they took turns jumping onto the fluffy golden middle to see how high they could bounce.

The garden was at a house that’d been empty for a while and so the ants had gotten extra bold. Even when people walked by the front, since no-one came to the back, they kept at their game. They had so little time to play in their busy lives and didn’t want to miss a minute as this flower would be following the sun and soon would not be so wonderfully level anymore.

As Sam’s turn came up everyone was excited. He had been just behind the champion, Bill, for a while, always jumping almost as high, but not quite. The ants loved a competition since they were always so regimented when working. Sam mentally prepared himself and jumped.

Just as he bounced and soared into the sky, a dog ran by followed by a woman with a broken leash, yelling, “Brownie! You get back here!!!” Sam plopped down on the dog’s back and off they went, never to be seen again.
...

Years later Sam was sitting in the cellar surrounded by youngsters.

“Tell us again Uncle Sam! Tell us about the big bouncy yellow things!’

“Well,” he began, “long ago I lived in a very different place. There was blue sky and bright sunshine and big yellow and white flowers to play on when the day’s work was done...”

Andy poked Ronny, “Do you really believe his stories?”

“I don’t know,” Ronny said wistfully, “but somehow, I always hope that place is real...”