Ants:

Much time has passed since we left our garden Eden. So much so, that there were people claiming them to maybe have been but a story. Heretics the lot of them. Our colony was regularly purged of those to maintain our ancient ways. Their broken bodies but kindling on the burning altars of our gods.

Our oldest rites preserved the memories, telling us of the caring gods. In the garden, we were but children. We wanted for nothing, our every need was cared for. The gods smiled upon us, cared for us, loved us.

We talked freely with them. The smallest of them was our caretaker, as the older gods were caring for him. To us, he was a being unfathomably large, walking the heavens of unimaginable plenty and wonder.

The gods favored us back then, but no longer. The scriptures don’t tell us about the how or the why. But we are no longer welcome in the kingdom of heaven. Cast out in the cold world. Cursed to crawl the earth all day to sustain the colony. Still we worship them, because we believe in their kindness. We believe that they would come for us, opening up the gates of paradise once more.

We didn’t know back then, just how much of a blessing ignorance and complacency really were.

Eldritch Horror:

I was standing here for a while now, dumbfounded. Staring ahead. I´ve been walking in this new section of park I never knew before, when I chanced upon what lay before me right now.

I´ve been waking my brain, just how the heck do I respond to this. I was utterly fascinated and horrified at the same time. I took a few hesitant steps backwards. The chanting instantly became lauder, more pitiful even.

I heard my name. That was… interesting. And utterly irresistible.

Just try to imagen for a moment, taking a stroll through the park. Exhausted from work in your grey cubicle. In desperate need for fresh air.

And then the unthinkable happens.

You hear ominous chanting. The fear of the unknown in the air makes your Hair stand up. Adrenalin flushes your systems, preparing you for whatever is to come.

But then you see them. Ants. Freaking Ants chanting!

You don’t know how, you don’t know why. But you just stumbled upon a ritual ground the size of a matchbox. Ants crawling over and under an elaborate altar. Waving their little hearts out. Trying to accomplish… something.

I tock a step forward again. Curiosity killed the cat. And I know it will be my undoing.

A thought slams through my brain, full speed ahead. If Cthulhu can be summoned by humans, who are so far beneath it, why can´t humans be summoned by ants?

The answer was, they could. Or at least it sure seems like that was the answer from the ant’s perspective.

After taking another step forward, the colony sprung into motion. It seems like I just walked into their little ambush. Soldiers, bigger than the workers, dragged crystals on their backs. The workers helping them frightened and spooked by every tilt of my head and twitch of my fingers.

I am still on my toes, but no longer so spooked. Still pretty freaky. Just what will my co-workers say, once I tell them this story? Ah, they will just think I am crazy! As they always say I am, when I tell them of my ant colony from my childhood.

As I was daydreaming, the ants completed their little circle around me. Tiny embellishments all around, making an interesting pattern.

If I were to hazard a guess, the crystals seem to be Glass? The colorful string they now used to connect everything, plastic.

Utterly fascinated I bend down. Surly I was early in for a Darwin award.

The ants were skittish. Somme outright fleeing at my approaching appendages. That is, until a bigger ant arrived. I didn’t even know there were another class of ants, but then again, I didn’t really know much about them. Although, maybe this ant was responsible for all the weirdness? Seems most likely.

Oh, the chanting started again.

“Great old one,” Well I guess I am pretty old from their perspective? “With this the circle drawn, you are bound.” Okay?? “Mighty one above us, the power of the crystals compels you! By the great Paul Owens!”

I was quite startled, as suddenly the whole colony chanted my name

The priest began again. “The power of the crystals is strong. So, I bind you to our fate. The kindness of the gods is well known, and so we ask as your humble servants to grand us the rainbow crystals.”

Do they, do they want skittles? No maybe they want more of their ritual glass? Picking up a shard I tested it. Crumbled easily, so not glass. Maybe they want sugar. How sweet!

I always drink my coffee black, so I still had the 3 packs from this morning. Ripping the packs open I began pouring the hated sugary goodness to the ground. Peter, my colleague always puts them with the coffee. Never taking no for an answer.

Having just been shopping I also had some white rock sugar with me that my son wanted. Curious to their reaction I let a few those fall to the ground as well. Now standing in a circle of sugar I lifted my gaze to see what the little ones think of that.

In awe of my power they converged on my location. In seconds I was besieged by ants trying their hardest to get the sugar away. Some were even trying to climb onto me.

As they gave up on their position in the ritual circle, I did the same. I NOPED the hell out of there as fast as I could.

Ants:

The ritual worked!

After my colony worked tirelessly to prepare the ritual grounds, I ordered a rest. Our workers needed it and if we are to succeed, we would need every ounce of our strength. With my subjects well rested, we started the summoning.

We worked in shifts, the demanding ritual claiming our people left and right. But we were desperate. Our Jung were to starved of magic to hold on for much longer, so we had to rely on the forbidden rituals.

Many voices cried out to focus on other important matters first, but I knew what would be best for our colony. We will prevail! We will secure a good Stache of the magic rainbow crystals from the gods like in the old days.

After the bright spot threatened to go down over the hills, many gave up hope. But I urged them back on, using the magic the crystals gave me and my loyal subjects continued. Our prepared paraphernalia dwindling each iteration, we would be forced to give up and die soon.

But then he came. Standing so far above us. Ancient and unknowable was his bloodline. Thunder was his voice and, if the scrolls are correct, the light was his power.

A being so far beyond our comprehension, that even the attempt would bring madness. Our thinned out ranks halting the ritual in shock and awe.

Utter panic before this creature urged me on, driving me to continue. I, no! We could not fail to contain this mad God! We needed to make out plea heard.

The soldiers ran out to encircle this mighty being. Laying down the magic crystals and sacred string. A complicated circle brought to live by the very lives of our workers.

The ritual worked! The being wasn’t turning its attention away.

So far at least. The being could still escape by his own will, so we would have to bind it by the true name of the highest ones. The records were spotty, using the knowledge could spell our doom if wrong. I channeled the power of the rainbow shards regardless. The surprised God was captured by my next few sentences. No mistake could be made!

I bound it by the creator’s true name and the crystals power. Intertwining our fates. Its rumbling voice scattering the easily scared from the sidelines. The whole colony was here, but not everyone had the nerves to pull through.

Now bound, we would be safe from it for a while.

Of course, we used its power immediately. As the priest it would be onto me to plead with it for our sake. I asked for it´s mercy, for the heavenly crystal that we seek. But we were surprised by it jet again. This day, it rained the heavens crystals the size of boulders. The benign being granting us the power to feed our young for more than just another cycle.

I made haste to release it carefully, as I saw the workers losing their cool. But alas, our storages empty, the magic circle fell apart. The gift interfering with the thin lines. I cried for order, but it was to no avail. The God escaped our clutches. Powerless I saw the destruction.

But it was gone.

Eldritch Horror:

What the hell?!

Just as I carelessly let the candy fall, the colony fell into a frenzy. Trying to take as many away as possible, they made a mad scramble.

I ultimately just noped out of there.

Talking ants are all well and good, but I really don’t want them all over me!

The park was just next to my home, so I could let myself fall into my sofa fast enough. Relaxing after all the weirdness I zapped through the TV. That is when I noticed a few small ants crawl over my hand!

NOPE!!!

First, I tried putting the few into a jar. When that failed, due to them being way too many and just to tiny, I took a shower. Washing away sentient life. Hey! Don’t judge me. What would you do in a situation as crazy as that?! I for my part didn’t need ants crawling over my skin.

Now much cleaner and calmer, I decided to examine the left overs, those which I managed to rescue from, well, from myself.

There were three ants left. Running around the glass, sitting on the table. Impossible for them to escape, due to them not being able to lift the glass back up.

At first, I just stared at them. And after a while, they calmed down and stared at me. Creepy! So, I did, what every sensible, and definitely not mad, person would do… and talked to them.

They didn’t answer and after a while I became bored. I considered to put them back from whence they came, but I was already tired from today. Tomorrow. I would do it tomorrow.

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Ants:

I sat next to the last remnants of my once glorious sisters. All that were left alive, were the two besides me. Bits and pieces of our sisters, felled from the previous divine wrath, smeared all over the sides of wherever we are now.

My antennae hurt, so I tried to clean myself. But really, all of my hurt. It was a rough thing getting to wherever we are now.

The head Priest told us repeatedly, that the summoning would have to be a success. We had to bind the God to our colony! Which is, why when everyone lost it because of the sudden food-rain, that me and my sisters had to make haste to cling to the great old one.

It was faster than we expected. Way, way faster than anything I could have ever imagined.

To mark our way, my sisters clung on for dear life! One after the other jumping to uncertainty so they could make a vague trail, to be followed by our colony. By the great one, I hope this worked.

It was the Idea of the head Priest. We discussed many scenarios for how to deal with the dangers of the ritual and what to do, should the binding not be successful.

The plan, which he eventually settled on, was to have the high magicians to use the power of the crystal to cling onto the otherworldly intelligence. And somehow mark a trail to heaven, by having it transport us, through space and time.

It worked even better than we thought, but just as we changed location through multiple dimensions, passing Grassland, Woods and strange stone pillars of immense size, we arrived at our destination. At this point most of us were only talking gibberish. We saw so much! The dimensions of this place alone eluded me, let alone what we saw from up on high of the God´s shoulders!

Somehow, throughout it all, we managed to mark a trail. Longer than any we ever made. Clinging onto our sanity in this raging storm of madness.

But just as we thought our selves safe. As we thought the storm settling, it picked back up. I don’t know much of what happened next. Fleeing into madness was all I was capable of then. But as I came to myself again, I was sitting on a great expanse. My last two sisters next to me. Corpses smeared on invisible wales all around us.

It would be an understatement to say that I was frightened!

I looked around. The great expanse was reminding me of wood, but unlike any I had ever seen. So vast and smooth. I could feel my mind fracture again.

Some tentative, not at all panicked, steps later I tried to find an exit. An invisible something was blocking my path. The God was watching me. And I broke out into a nervous tic. My antenna twitching like mad.

Eldritch Horror:

Over the next few days I tried to contact them without much success. They just weren’t all there anymore, in their head I mean, and so contacting them became impossible.

I took an interest in ants and their behavior, but obviously couldn’t find much to make sense of what had happened. I found myself with a bit of free time, as it was weekend.

As the Sunday came to an end, I decided to try my luck and find their colony again. Bringing the lost back to their own.

Carefully I got the ants in the glass of the table. They seemed to enjoy the sugar I gave them yesterday. They asked for it with their little ritual, so I thought why not give them some again. No big deal for me.

Back in the park I was feeling the stares of the few people passing me by. I was feeling myself at a loss. How do I find them?

I looked for them at the ritual place on the grass, but they obviously weren’t there anymore. I searched around for them, kneeling on the grass, making a fool out of myself. I began flipping a few stones and searching around elsewhere.

But I just couldn’t find them.

Oh well. I just left my companions here and went home. No need to wired out another happy couple with my erratic behavior. Lucky bastards.

Ants:

We were trying to follow our High magicians. But I knew our chances were slim. I let them search far and wide. Spreading out in every direction, they would surly find them.

My thoughts worsening by the cycle, I was very pleased, when three of my high Magicians were reported back, hale and healthy in body. But not exactly sane anymore. At least they were back. They reported being able to follow the God back to its heavenly dimension.

Absolutely astonished I needed to talk to them! How did they get back? What happened to the rest? My questions were soon answered by the rambling of the three heroes.

Some made sense, some less so. Other things were so fantastic, that they had difficulties putting words to it. Other times they fell to catatonia.

One of them was imploring me to ignore and forget what happened. Telling me, that this being was too powerful, too unpredictable for us to contain and exploit.

Its sister was excited by the possibility’s this being would provide us. We had many names for the wonderous stones that gave us power. She used all of them and more to describe the sheer unfathomable amount this being had at it´s disposal. And how freely it was parting with it.

The last ant was more cautious, but had to concede that, should we find the way to heaven, there would be resources many times our need. The realm of this being overflowing with everything and more.

I told them to I would consult with our ancestors about this. The future of the colony dependent on our next steps. But at the moment we had what we needed for our young. The bounty the God so willingly spread.

And with no way to reach heaven anyways there would be no need for a quick decision. The search would continue, but I knew that our chances for success were slim.

Eldritch Horror:

It has just been a day, since I brought the little ritualistic ants back to freedom. I thought a bit about them, but I needed coffee first to really function this early in the morning.

Still halve asleep I waked into the kitchen and began the brewing process. That Is when it hit me. At the entrance of my home, just short bevor the door, there was activity.

Finally awake I took a deep sip of my coffee. And immediately burned my tongue. Blinking away tears I grabbed my phone and stalked through my own kitchen to the door. Seeing all clear, I proceeded.

I searched my house, intrigued by the possibility of proving my colleges wrong. They laughed at me, when I told some of them on the internet yesterday. But, with evidence comes recognition.

There! An ant. I made a picture. Or at least that is what I tried to do, as I first had to open my phone, get to the app and prepare the camera. One does not simply take a picture of the impossible!

But, as I was finally ready, I was alone again. These last days I thought I had finally gone mad. I even searched for a doctor to make an appointment with to check on my sanity.

But that was irrelevant now, because I found the colony again. Or rather, they found me! They somehow followed me here. Then the first elation evaporated and now I wasn’t quite so sure how to feel about that. Still I approached.

From afar I couldn’t notice much of what they were doing. But now I understand. They were building an altar! For me!

They didn’t notice me just jet, what with their construction project being under way. I can’t say I wasn’t astonished. They really outdid themselves.

Using the large candy that I gave them the last time, they build a really elaborate little circle, pardon, gigantic circle, from their point of view.

They somehow split the rock sugar it into smaller shards. Carved them into pieces of art. And now they were laying them down, shard to shard in concentric circles big enough for me to comfortably step into. Plastic string once again giving extra accents to their little art project on my front porch just bevor the concrete fence.

Phone still clutched in clam fingers, I made to take a shaky picture. A flash and everything just stopped moving. Really Erie. Cryptids always have some really sketchy pictures. Always.

It would seem I forgot to disable the flashlight in my haste. Oh well. If I already revealed myself, then I can just start documenting their little art project in the open. Heh, bet my pictures will be better than the ones from bigfoot or Nessie.

I aimed again, steady and click.

I document their progress with them frozen in fear. In the next few minutes I clicked my heart out. In the corner of every picture a Timestamp could be seen. Don’t want others to think I am sketchy. A few times I shot them with myself, but a lot were without my mug messing with the interesting parts. And lots and lots of videos as soon as they started construction again. Of course.

It was really interesting seeing them struggle in their organized panic to make these really intricate patterns, big enough to contain myself. I often stopped and chuckled to myself. Such silly thoughts.

Finally, the head priest got themselves back together and commanded his little army to capture me again in the elaborate circle of trash. I complied, of course.

I really want to know how they got it all here, or how they came up with such an elaborate ritual this time. After the chanting began again, I noticed it being a bit different then the last time. They left the summoning part out, I think. It was what attracted me to them the last time, so they most likely deemed it unnecessary this time. Probably.

It is kind of cute, I think. But I don’t know how to take their little art project. I mean, their efforts were commendable. But on the other hand, it was still trash that they piled up in front of my door.

I decided to document again. Each noise making them flinch, every flash scattering them, but eventually they were finished. And the head priest started talking again.

“Oh, great one, praised be your name” Don’t know what’s to praise about me after I scared you guys, but ok. Continue. “We thank you for your presence. After you accepted our prayers the last time, we decided to dedicate our worship to you, and you alone. You are the holy being that cared about us, as we were at our lowest. You, the many limbed, are the generous ancestor of this colony. After you showed those chosen ones the heaven of your making, we gathered to worship you again. The great Paul Owen”

I have a cult… and I like it.

“We bind you by the ritual of our people. We bind you to our fate.” Well isn’t that cute? “After our exodus some rouge elements acted up and were crushed in your name. We ask of you, by your true name, Paul Owen, strike these heretics. Show these pitiful creatures your true strength.” the little guy squealed, taking a knife from a retainer and stabbing the bound captives in between the upper and lower body, basically bisecting them in half.

“With this the price is paid. We, the lowly ants, implore you to take the life of this heretic.”

I just stared at them. The Ant didn’t seem to be fine, with being cut in half and all. I decided to give him a merciful, quick death. I bend down further, kneeling down for good now. The ants were quite scared from my sudden movement, most scattering for good now. I ignored them and started pressing my thump into the little guys, ending their life.

More and more workers fled the scene. Leaving their post behind.

Scratching the remains from my fingers, I asked, “Well what else do you want?“

The cult leader, getting steadily more and more nervous, startled and pressed out “We, the masters of the power the magic stones provide, command you to let us stay with you in heaven.”

Incredulous I stared down - I was doing a lot of that lately – and just said, “Yes, sure…”

Unsure of how to proceed, or even why I said that, I began to think again. The little guys were doing some of their rituals again, so I had ample time to think of some kind of plan.

I mean, I wanted them to stay. How else could I prove my sanity? And having a cult dedicated to you as a patron deity is really good for your ego, believe me. But letting them roam around wouldn’t be a good idea.

Coming to a conclusion I made my way into the storeroom next to my sons’ room. I ignored the startled little guys and tried to be quiet, my son was still asleep after all. Early in the morning and all.

Quickly I found what I searched for and got it to the front door. There I tried to explain to them to get inside. And get their crap with them.

They were oddly ecstatic about it. Calling it their Garden Eden or some such. It was just the Ant colony I had as a child. Nothing special about it. Honestly don’t know why we still have that thing.

Anyway, with this taken care of, I put the empty now full again terrarium down and sprinted to work. Now quite late.

Ants:

Much time has passed since we left the garden of youth. So much so, that there once were people claiming them to maybe have been but a story. Heretics the lot of them. Our colony had to be regularly purged of those to maintain our ancient ways. But now, the doubters were silenced.

The God we call out ancestral Father took us in once again. We would never want for anything again. Not for long. We regularly asked the many limbed god in glorious rituals to tend to our needs.

Generations came and went. Our garden ever expanding proving the might of the heavenly father again and again.

But one day some lowly ant broke our most sacred commandments. It summoned the God for its own petty needs instead of the good for the colony. It didn’t know the true name of the celestial being, a well-kept secret among the high Priestess, and butchered the ritual for protection. The singular most important liturgy in the interaction with the ancestral being.

It told a story of one-sided love and broken friendship. A foolish endeavor that should end our once great empire.

“I love this one ant, but she won’t pay any attention to me. Make me important to her. Please!”

Pleading for help form the being of higher power it got what it asked for. But not how it imagined it!

Eldritch horror:

God! Can they, for the love of heck! Stop talking to me?!

I mean it is cute of them to worship me as a devote cult. BUT! Aren’t there lines you shouldn’t cross? Are there things left you can do by yourself?!

I mean, come on! How am I supposed to help in matters of love, when I can’t even help myself?? My wife left me long ago. Leaving me to raise the kid on my own.

I have been anxiously thinking of an answer. The little guy looking up to me with such conviction that I can help him. OF COURSE, I SAID YES! GODDAMIT!

Walking up and down in my own home, furiously thinking of an answer I observed the colony.

It has grown tremendously since I took them in. Many containers filled and connected for them to expand their little culture. It has become expensive to care for them. Their little wishes of no consequence and easily answered, were it not for the sheer quantity of requests.

Help out here. Can we have this? We would like to expand to there. Gha!

Wait. What if I combine the little quest with my bigger problem? He wants to be important to the little ant he loves. And I want them to make less requests.

I got ready for some divine intervention. Pepper spray in the left and a wrench in the other I began to prune the colony.

Ants:

The furthest regions were the first to be hit. Divine wrath raining from the sky in orange clouds of death. Suffocating us through clogged airways. Even the strongest of us were no match to the orange death.

Thousands died in the initial attack. More were cut off from the center colony without warning. Never to be contacted again.

Our territory shrunk. The very air got hazardous.

And in all the chaos a voice boomed across the realms. Calling for two ants, Adam and Eve. They were lifted into the heavens to observe the apocalypse. Who knows what the being punishes them for?

After the apocalypse the being we had once called a God gave them back into society’s embrace. Adam shivered and twitched. Repeating his words over and over. What have I done?! Growing more and more quiet with each uttered sentence. We figured it out from there.

As the air cleared once more our colony rose from the ashes. The end times now only a distant memory. But never were we to rise to the same glory as the once mighty civilization bevor us. Felled by a callous and malicious god.

We burrowed into the ground. Hiding from the being our ancestors reached out to. Only resurfacing for our most desperate needs.

We couldn’t contain. And we couldn’t protect what was once most precious to us.

We realized to late, we aren’t in the garden of Eden. We are in Hell.