Prologue

 

Not so long ago a young boy was lying on his stomach, reading about knights and soldiers, when he noticed a tiny white egg on one of the pages.

 

From this egg an ant emerged, and the boy trained it to walk on two feet, use swords and carry a shield. The ant’s name was Moresby.

But tragedy struck! A fierce storm swept across the land. It picked up Moresby from his shelter and carried him far away.

Moresby is still trying to get home today and everywhere he travels his legend grows.

It is the legend of an ant who defends the rights of lesser insects, who vanquishes evil.

 

This is the tale of Moresby and…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ghost

It was nearing dusk, and Moresby was exhausted. He had wandered into a part of a garden that was infested with praying mantises and everywhere he turned, a mantis was moving towards him. These giant insects sit and wait, camouflaged, before striking out against their prey. Moresby darted under a small twig, hoping for a moment’s rest. The twig suddenly lifted and Moresby dropped to the ground, rolled, and ran.

The mantis is a formidable fighting machine. They have incredible vision, with five eyes, that give them almost 360 degrees vision. And they attack with speed that is surprising for something that appears to move slowly. Their teeth are designed for ripping and tearing. They usually bite into a soft part of their prey’s body, like the neck. When the insect is dead they eat it slowly, enjoying it, and dropping off parts they don’t want. The mantis loves the actual eating of their food.

Moresby saw the tree and ran towards it. On either side of him he saw movement, as two huge, angular creatures stalked him. Once on the tree Moresby found a peeling piece of bark and dived under it.

Moments later he heard the scraping noise of a mantis, dragging its front leg spines under the bark, trying to snag him out. Moresby held up his shield and the spines were deflected. The mantis tried again but Moresby fielded off the second attack. The mantis tore at the bark and tried to lever it up but it was thick and would not move. Eventually Moresby heard the creature move away and he curled up, further under the bark for some sleep.

As he drifted off, he thought of his friend Kim Long. It had been some hours since they had been separated in a mantis attack – hopefully he was okay. He awoke quickly, aware of an unusual beating noise. It sounded similar to the repeated flicking of sand from an ant lion’s hole, but it was quicker.

Bap! Bap! Flap! Bap! Bap!

Perhaps there were a number of night wasps, attacking a caterpillar.

Bap Bap! Flap! Flap! Bap!

Morseby cursed his restlessness. Most insects that hear an unfamiliar sound in the night ignore it. Moresby closed his eyes again, and was almost asleep, when his head jolted up with the thought that it might be Kim Long – in trouble.

He pushed aside the bark and stood cautiously. He glanced around the surrounding area, then stepped hesitantly, staying in the moon shadow of the crack in the bark.

On the ground, in the silver moonlight, lay a strange ghostly shape, like a leaf. Even though it wasn’t Kim Long, Moresby crawled from his safety, down the tree trunk towards this strange creature.

Bap! Bap! Flap!

He drew closer to the ‘thing’. It vibrated and spun around, causing a fine white powder to float upon the air.

Moresby smiled. It was a white moth. ‘Hey moth! Stop your beating wings. I could hear you in the tree.’

Bap Bap! Flap!

‘Stop your flapping or you’ll attract something that will eat you.’

The moth sighed. ‘Are you going to eat me?’

‘No! I’m not a predator,’ answered Moresby. ‘More of a scavenger in reality – a nomad, or a soldier.’ Moresby felt sorry for the strange white moth. ‘You appear to be having some difficulty?’

‘My wing was damaged by a human blue light trap.’

Bap Bap! Flap!

‘Stop your noise!’ Moresby ordered. He looked around quickly. ‘Maybe the humans damaged your wing, but if you keep that up, it will be something else that comes along.’

‘I can’t fly. My life will soon be over.’

‘I may be able to fix it?’

‘My wings are too fine to be mended.’

‘I’ll see what I can do. I’ll be back in a moment. Now don’t go beating your wings otherwise you will be eaten. Many predators would love to dine on moth tonight.’

The moth sighed again. ‘I will wait quietly.’

Moresby went in search of some spider web which he knew would be strong enough, flexible enough and light enough to mend the moth’s wing.

He hadn’t gone far when he came upon a very messy web.

‘Perfect,’ said Moresby. ‘Redback spider – there isn’t a stickier web around. Now I just need to get it without being sprung!’

Moresby looked at the spider web. It was messy, with vertical lines stretching to the ground. If he had stumbled into this web, he would have become instantly stuck on the glue at the bottom. The web would have sprung up, and he would have been hanging there as the spider’s next meal.

Moresby withdrew his sword and tested the sharpness of the blade and his speed by cutting one thread close to the ground. He flicked the sword quickly and jumped sideways. The web, still attached to the main web, whipped upwards. A Redback spider darted from one side and then froze, waiting for more movement. It was black and shiny and metallic looking. Its huge abdomen was scarred with a red streak down the centre.

Moresby knew how careful he had to be when collecting the web.   He carefully chose one vertical line and then another, each time slicing them near the ground and jumping back and he watched the spider advance. The redback placed trod softly, creeping towards him.

Moresby cut another thread. The spider drew closer. As Moresby collected the threads  he kept his head high, and his sword drawn. He had just bundled the thread into a small bag when he heard the faint fluttering of wings.

‘What now?’ he muttered, stepping backwards slowly and running to where the moth was.

What appeared to be a giant arrangement of sticks was picking its way towards the moth. The mantis was many times bigger than Moresby. Its long arms were spiky and it was carnivorous. The colour changing eyes, sitting on the strange triangular shaped head, noticed Moresby but looked back to the moth.

Moresby knew that a mantis this size could easily kill him, but its hungry eyes were set on the moth. Moresby decided to try to bluff the creature.

‘Hey there! Look down here.’

The praying mantis stopped and pivoted its eyes.

‘It’s mine,’ shouted Moresby. ‘I found him first and my colony is on its way.’

The triangular heard quivered. ‘It is too early for a swarm of ants. If you saw the feed first, you should not have left it for me.’

The mantis took one small step towards Moresby and his huge abdomen swung back and forth like a train swing. ‘Unless you want to fight over it,’ he added menacingly.

The bluff had failed.

‘Nope! It is all yours. You are bigger than me by about a hundred times. Enjoy your meal.’

‘Don’t eat me please,’ called the moth.

As the praying mantis took another step Moresby shouted up to it. ‘Before you eat that moth…’

‘Yes,’ it sneered, getting impatient over his meal.

‘If you have eaten one of these moths before, you will remember the white dust covering that makes it hard to swallow. You will remember how it makes you cough.’

‘Of course, but that is worth the sweet white flesh inside!’

‘I know, and I’d like to make a deal with you. If you let me have just one bite I’ll clean it for you.’

‘You were going to eat me?’ interrupted the moth.

Bap! Bap Bap!

‘I found this moth ten minutes ago and I left to get some spider web. See,’ said Moresby, holding up a string of web. ‘I was going to clean it before I ate it.’

The praying mantis looked at Moresby blankly.

‘You see, when I roll the web onto the dust it comes off so you can eat the moth without the dry, dusty taste.’

The praying mantis nodded and thought about eating the moth and Moresby. ‘Okay little ant, but hurry. I’m hungry and will not wait long.’

Moresby walked cautiously past the praying mantis knowing that at any moment it might attack. He remembered seeing a mantis grab a grasshopper out of flight and then bite into its soft neck and eat it. Praying mantises move quickly.

Bap! Bap Bap! Flap!

Moresby shouted to the moth. ‘Sit still or we will eat you now.’

The moth stopped its flapping, and Morseby placed some of the web onto it, then held the dust covered web up to the mantis.

‘Look at all that dust,’ shouted Moresby. ‘I’ll have this moth cleaned in a moment.’

‘You will not,’ shouted the moth, fluttering uselessly on the ground again.

‘Be still,’ shouted Moresby. Then he whispered, ‘I’m mending your wing, remember.’

The moth went instantly still.

Morseby began to string the dust covered web in and out of the moth’s wing. The web, which wasn’t dusted, was attached to parts of the wing that had been cleaned.

After only a minute the mantis leaned forward and was within striking distance of Moresby. ‘Why are you taking so long?’ it spat. ‘Are you finished?’

Moresby turned again. The mantis was so close, Moresby could see tiny markings on the head and beak-like jaws.

‘What I am doing will make the difference between a meal and a feast. Be patient.’

‘NO! I will eat NOW.’

Moresby did not wait for the attack. He reached up and swung a line of spider thread around the mantis’ beak, which the mantis snapped with its powerful jaws. But it was in that moment, when the mantis should have been attacking, that he leaped onto the moth and shouted, ‘Go! Go!’

The moth fluttered its wings and was airborne but it was unsteady in flight and wouldn’t get away. The mantis could grab it out of the air – until Moresby leaped off the moth’s back, onto one of the mantis’ eyes.

The mantis was quick and swung its head so Morseby, who was off balance, fell to the ground. The mantis’ fury was aimed at Moresby who dived left, just avoiding the darting forearms. Moresby rolled, planted his feet, and sprang back, twisting around to calculate his landing.

He ended up on the mantis’ thorax and grabbed quickly to avoid falling. The mantis swung its huge forearms around, trying to behead Moresby, who darted up behind its head, which turned to face him, jaws scissoring at him. The slashing forearms were suddenly at Moresby’s side and he leaped sideways.

‘What does this killing machine need?’ thought Moresby. ‘How do I slow it down? Everything has a weakness, a soft spot in the armour, a lacking in its skill. How do you defeat a creature covered in armour, with a vision of 300 degrees, which is a hundred times bigger than yourself?’

When the mantis scraped its arm along its wing covering Moresby was knocked to the ground. He ran under the mantis, trying to get a moment’s rest.

Moresby saw its weakness.

The mantis reached out with its forearms but Moresby leaped over them. He dropped his weapons and used his mouth and arms to grab dirt and small seeds. Then, with all the speed and strength he could muster, he leaped onto the abdomen and ran up it, inserting the seeds and dirt into the small holes that lined the mantis’ body.

The mantis swung its abdomen and knocked Moresby to the ground again. ‘You cannot beat me. You hide under me and I find you. You climb on me and I scrape you off. I see you everywhere. I am faster and stronger. Why not give yourself to me, so I can enjoy my meal quickly?’

While the mantis spoke Moresby grabbed more dirt. He leaped up again and placed it into new holes.

‘What do you hope to gain little ant?’

The mantis tried to knock Moresby using his arms, and finally succeeded. Moresby was struck on the left side of his head while he had been watching the other way. He fell heavily in front of the mantis, which grabbed him and held him up.

‘What a foolish little creature. How did you think you could beat me? You tricked me into losing the moth so now I will eat you.’

The mantis’ eyes suddenly closed and opened slowly. ‘What have you done…?’ The huge creature fell forward, releasing Moresby.

‘I took away your one need – air. We all breathe through our air holes. You were so confident on beating me you didn’t defend your weakness.’

Moresby sat in the dirt and looked at the huge creature that lay quietly in front of him. There was a sudden movement from behind which he thought was the Ghost Moth.

‘You have returned,’ said Moresby, without turning around.

‘I never left,’ boomed the voice of a second praying Mantis. It was not as big as the first one but it was just as dangerous. ‘I have stood in the shadows and watched this amazing  fight.’

Moresby spun around.

‘You are a clever thing. Imagine a little ant beating a mighty mantis!’

Moresby was exhausted. His swords and shield were some distance away and there was nowhere to hide. The mantis loomed above him.

‘And I saw how you fixed the moth’s wing so it escaped. You deserve to die for that.’ The mantis leaned over Moresby who realised there was no escape. A mantis usually bites off the head of its prey. Moresby wished he had a helmet.

‘However, you have provided me with a far greater meal and I do appreciate this amazing dinner you have laid out for me.’

Moresby realised it was looking at the unconscious mantis he had defeated earlier. He had forgotten that praying mantises are cannibals and he felt sorry for the first one.

‘I will just get my swords and I will be going,’ said Moresby, running to the far side of the unconscious praying mantis. But as soon as he was hidden from view, he pulled out some of the dirt and seeds which blocked its breathing holes.

The first mantis suddenly stood. ‘I have such a bad headache,’ he groaned, ‘but I have also heard your conversation.’

The second mantis took a step backwards. Their attention was completely taken, and they began to circle each other.

Moresby grinned. It was a fair fight now. He grabbed his swords and shield, and ran for the ghost moth which had alighted next to him. He quickly climbed onto its back. ‘Let’s go!’ he cried.

Flap. Flap. Flap. Up in the dark sky Moresby and the white moth were soon a long way from the mantises. The white moth landed on a wall and Moresby watched it change colour to brown.

He crawled onto the wall and the ghost moth bowed before him.

‘Moresby! I will be forever indebted to you. If you should ever need flight, call out to the ghost moths. I shall spread word amongst them of how you saved me.’

And the legend grew of Moresby, who faced two giant cannibals to save a ghost.