Week 7 Story: Night of the Little Men

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        The scholar awoke in the middle of the night to a stinging pain all over his body. When he tried to sit up, he found that his effort was met with resistance. The stinging got worse each time he wriggled or tried to sit. He lifted his head and looked down at his body to find it wrapped in tiny wires. The little men were back. They had restrained him while he was sleeping and now held the wires in place from each side of the bed. There were hundreds of them. The wire cut into his skin leaving little red marks.
        The king of the ant men screamed out, “we’ve got him now!” and raised his little toothpick of a sword into the air. He proceeded to order his men to light a fire under the scholar’s bed. He struggled against the wire again, thinking how ridiculous it was that he might die here by the hands of these minuscule beings. The fire started slowly, but the men kept adding bits of paper and wood chips, and it began to grow. The scholar could not see what was happening. He knew it would take a while for them to build a fire big enough to harm him, but once it reached his wooden bed frame, it would be all over.

        “How does it feel? A little taste of your own medicine huh! Ooh it’s getting higher! Can you feel it yet? I sure hope so!” the little man yelled out in his whining high-pitched voice. He collapsed in a fit of laughter and his kingdom of tiny people joined him. A symphony of shrieking laughter. The army began to shoot arrows at the scholar. They were little splinters pricking the skin of his arms, neck, and face.
        “Wait! I’m sorry for my previous actions! I wish to swear my allegiance to you,” the scholar exclaimed.
        “Oh, I bet you do now!” the king said with a triumphant grin.
        “Truly! You’ve demonstrated that you are a powerful leader over powerful people. I wish to be one of you. Imagine what I could do with my size to help you! I could squash your enemies like bugs.”
        The king seemed to think for a moment. He quietly called over one of his advisors and then another. They whispered amongst themselves, glancing over at the giant human every now and then. When they finally reached a conclusion, the king declared, “Fine! You shall be my servant. Swear your fealty to me immediately.” The scholar did just as he was commanded. The king ordered his men to release him and put out the blaze under the bed.
        After that night, the king rarely called on the help of the scholar. Occasionally, he would be asked to join in battle with them. He successfully stomped each of the enemy to bits. They continued on in peace for years later until the scholar moved to another home. He chuckled at the thought of what the next owner might face when the little men came to visit again.

Image Information: Fire, Source: Pexels

Author's Note: In the original story, a scholar moves into a "haunted home" to discover that little men the size of ants like to appear and have hunts in the house. The king of the ant men insults the scholar. He tries to squash them with a book, and when they leave, he follows them and sets a fire to smoke them out. I really liked the idea of this story, and felt like I could extend it into something even better. I tried to keep the characters the same. I made the king of the ants a little more childish and mouthy, but I thought it added to his character and made the story more interesting. I thought it would be fun if the two could live together in harmony. They would be like his little pets and he would be their greatest weapon. Besides, he's a scholar. Wouldn't he enjoy studying them?

Bibliography: "The King of the Ants" from The Chinese Fairy Book by R. Wilhelm and translated by Frederick H. Martens, link to the reading online.