"Kelly"

I stop typing and look around. I'm alone in the house, and I have no idea who could be calling me. It was really soft... Probably just my imagination.

"Kelly"

Whispered again… did I leave the TV on? Nope, they are all off, even the one in my bedroom that I thought might be the culprit. I sit back down, time to finish this report.

"Kelly"

Nope, no one at the door, and the dog is asleep.

"Kelly"

Am I having a psychotic break? Is this what losing one's mind is? I stop and stand in the middle of the living room, and close my eyes. Where is it coming from?

"Kelly"

Behind me, by the kitchen. I close my eyes in the kitchen and wait.

"Kelly"

By the back door! I open it to find a circle of ants in the middle of the patio. I come closer, careful not to step on any ants.

"Kelly"

Is that… Are the ants… talking? Leaves move behind me surrounding me in a field of leaves.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"You have fallen for our trap! Humans can't cross the leaves! If you want to return to your relm, you must do our bidding."

I can't cross the leaves? What is this, a cross species game of the floor is lava? This is too funny. I wonder what they want? "So, what is your bidding?" It is hard not to laugh as I ask. I must be insane.

"There has not been rain in twenty four moons. This division is the only one for miles with a garden to sustain us, but the water is running out for us and the bees. We demand—"

"Demand?" I ask, how dare these ants demand anything. I may just go inside and pick up some RAID.

"Ask—"

"—beg"

"—that you make it rain! We have several sacrifices lined up if they please you?"

I deflate a little. They just want water? Of course they do.

"The bees and worms are dying! Without their help there will be no more harvests, and then we will die!" they are scrambling to explain. Several voices start shouting over each other, each giving evermore desperate pleas for rain.

I never should have turned off the sprinklers. Clearly, my attempt to save water has caused problems. The grass looks brown and while my drip system is keeping the garden alive, there clearly isn't enough leftover water for the bugs and other creatures that rely on it.

Instead of responding, I walk over to the hose, set it to mist, and turn it on. I can hear cheering and suddenly all the leaves crawl out of the way and stack into a neat pile in the compost.

The whole backyard seems like it is crawling now. Worms surface for water, bees and humming birds swarm in the mist, and there are ants everywhere.

The leader ant approaches, "Thank you great Kelly! Thank you!"

"I will make it rain every other morning," I respond while setting up the sprinkler system.

The leader ant seems to fall over in shock, before going back to groveling. This is too weird, and I have a deadline that I have postponed too long. I go back inside while shaking my head. Clearly, I am way too sleep deprived for this. Maybe I should ask for an extension...