Of Ant Bites

The ticklish tingle, the little squirm, and then the moment of agony. Sounds familiar? Of course it does. Ants, one of the species most commended for their ability to endure more than any living creature is capable of, are also very painful pests, and I must say, tormentors too!

The tormentors!

I have never had a cordial relationship with this particular species because of the frequent swellings on my body, thanks to them. I have had my foot swollen like a pumpkin, making it difficult for me to waddle around. I have had a mouthful of ants (and a mouthful of bites too), when I slurped juice from a straw full of ants. But last week, one of the ants took this animosity to a whole new level. It bit me on my eyelid!

Sleeping peacefully, I was rudely awakened by a piercing pain in my eye. Feeling the crushed ant on my finger first made me think that it had bitten me in the eye, but after proper examination, I breathed a sigh of relief when I realised that the target was my eyelid, and not exactly my eye. For two whole days, I stumbled around the house with one eye permanently closed by the swollen eyelid, hiding from everyone and everything, sleeping through the day, hoping that the swelling would have vanished the next time I woke up. It took me two whole days to be able to slightly peek out of that eyelid, finally seeing the world in its true dimension.

Since then, my brain has ordered a ‘shoot-on-sight’ command for all the ants, and my hands have been automatically squishing them on sight. So beware, all you ants! I am on a hunting mission with real vengeance!!