Thank you very much to @Insight Co-leader | Arabella , the Vice Team Leader of our novel group, for bringing the special gifts to everyone on this special day. Wishing everyone a blessed Easter Day.
Bella’s greatest wish is to get one more Reap Master. Her ants will do anything they can to help her fulfil that wish. And what better time to do that then Easter, the time of the egg hunt.
Easter was coming, and Bellas ants were looking forward to the festivities. They had a book club to read stories about egg hunts, bunnies, chocolate, and costumes. It was soon lunchtime, and Bella went to the kitchen to get some food. She saw a stew on the stove, which smelled delicious, so she took a bowl and some.
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Noooo!!!
The scream from the ants in the kitchen made her stop mid-movement. Then, standing on one leg, she asked: -
Why not? It smells delicious.
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Well, we were cooking hedgehog today, but someone (the ant looked at two other ants that tried to hide) forgot to remove the needles. So we will use a filter later to take them away.
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What are we eating instead, then?
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Well, we will have good sauce from the hedgehog, so we are thinking about pasta.
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Choklad ice cream! - a little ant yelled from the door.
Bella thought it was an excellent idea for lunch. So she winked at the little ant, took some ice cream from the freezer, and sneaked out of the kitchen. The little ant followed.
The day was nice and warm, and in the evening, they sat outside on beach chairs by the fire and listened to the stories. Bella told them a story about a mythical fighting ant called Reap Master. Bella’s greatest wish was to get one more to get a star on it. But every week on hatching day, her hopes were crushed. She still hoped, but her ants could see the sadness in her eyes while she was telling the story.
When darkness fell on Bella’s hill, with careful steps, the group of Bella’s ants walked closer to their neighbour’s hill. Sixth lived there, and there was a rumour that there was a Reap Master with stars on Sixth’s hill.
Slowly they crept to the gate. They build a ladder with their bodies, and the last ant with a camera in hand climbs on it.
-Ooooh! I see it! - it exclaimed, taking a picture.
Back in Balla’s tower, they showed the picture of the Reap to the leader of Ants in Black.
- We have to help Bella get one of those. It would be perfect for finding an egg with Reap Master and giving it to Bella in a basket on Easter.
The group was planning how to make it happen for the rest of the night.
The next day Bella took a cup of tea and went out. It was a lovely day, sunny but not too warm. She sat on the porch and listened to the birds when some ants ran toward her.
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We need to buy chicken costumes!
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What for?
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For a dancing competition with Chicken dance. The winner is supposed to get live chickens.
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What do you need a chicken for?
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They will lay eggs, and we will surely get Reap with them!
Bella would try anything to get a Reap, so costumes were bought, and during the day, everywhere you looked on Bella’s hill, ants dressed as chickens danced the Chicken dance. It was the funniest thing Bella had ever seen. Her ants won the competition, and live chickens found a home in Bella’s anthill.
Sometime later, Bella sat on a chair and read: “How to kill bugs - for dummies.” Suddenly she saw a movement in the forest. Curious, she went to see. She saw a group of ants going in a circle, looking at the ground with a magnifying glass. -
What are you looking for?
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The chickens are missing. So we are looking for clues.
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Have you been watching Sherlock Holmes again?
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Maybe?
With a sigh, Bella went back. She hoped they would find the chickens before the darkness.
Four days before Easter, they had a meeting. Chores had to be delegated so that most could take an Easter break. The meeting was almost over when suddenly, one ant ran into the meeting room.
- The gees are gone!
- Wait, we have gees? Why? - Bella asked, confused
- They lay bigger eggs than chickens. They will surely give us a Reap egg! But they run away.
- Well, there is one way to find them. Follow their poo.
- Huh?
- They poo all the time; just follow the trail.
The ants looked at Bella with admiration. Their leader was a genius!
Three days before Easter, an ant ran into Bella’s rum.
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I have an idea!
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What???
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We tried chicken eggs and gees eggs. What about if we try ostrich eggs?
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Where are you going to find one?
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We will ask Ants in Black. They know everything.
Bella started to fear what animal the next egg would come from. Knowing her ants, they will not be satisfied with the ostrich.
The expedition to find ostrich eggs were getting ready. -
What tools are you taking with you?
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A screwdriver and a hammer.
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Uhm, where are you going to look?
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On the trees and in the lake.
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You do know what an ostrich looks like?
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They are pink and stand on one leg.
This was going to be a disaster.
Later that same day, Bella could not believe what she was seeing. The expedition group came through the entrance carrying a giant pink ostrich. She knew there were no pink ostriches, so the question was: what in the world was happening?
- Uhm, congratulations?
- We succeeded! The pink ostrich is ours! We deserve a party!
- Where did you find it?
- He got lost in the forest where we used to gather raspberries.
Bella did not want to burst their happiness, but she was sure the ostrich would not be pink anymore after the first rain. It did not matter. They would have an ostrich egg. Maybe by some miracle, a Reap Master would hatch from it?
Easter was here. Ants in Black dressed as bunnies hid eggs everywhere in Bella’s anthill. There were chicken eggs, geese eggs and ostrich eggs. After the egg hunt, all eggs would be gathered in one place to keep safe until the hatching day next Thursday. Millions of baskets waited for ants to take them and go on the hunt. Bella looked with a smile. She enjoyed her ants having fun.
Sitting on a chair and watching the hunt, Bella thought about how her ants always tried to make her wishes come true. Life in Bella’s anthill was a good life indeed.
Roses are red; violets are blue
Reap Master, Reap Master, how much I need you
The long wait is making me cry
No Reap Master eggs are to supply
Will I continue to see him only in my dreams
Dreams that would never come true, it seems
But I will still hold on to my hope
My crazy ants will help me to cope
Roses are red; violets are blue
If you got a Reap Master, I will hunt you