Psyche

Chapter 32

The light in the temple suddenly changed, and Aphrodite was gone. Psyche looked around at the copious piles and piles of food and then, she ran from the temple in despair.

Since leaving Olympus, it was as though all her powers of reason and reasoning had left her. Emotion gripped her soul, threatening to suffocate the life right out of her. She removed Brownie from her basket, and she cuddled the little dog, who licked her salty tears away.

Excuse me," said a soft voice. It didn't sound like the voice of a god, and yet Psyche looked around and could not see. The voice was also not at all like the voices of her servants on Olympus.

"Down here, my lady," said the voice, which was quite friendly.

Psyche looked down, and she saw an ant.

"Do you remember the day long ago when you saved my colony from being tortured and burned by your sister?"

Vague memories returned. Psyche nodded, and the ant bowed a little ant bow. It was charming and strange, and it made Psyche small.

"We have long wished to repay your kindness. We shall help you complete the task before you," said the ant.

As the ant spoke, more and more ants appeared . . .from all directions and in single file lines. Soon, thousands of them lined up in rows. The first ant, a friend she had made so long ago, turned toward his tiny army.

"Aphrodite has tasked Psyche with sorting all the food in the temple into baskets by sundown tomorrow. We shall see that it is done."

All the ants lifted their heads and moved their antenna in salute.

"We shall see that it is done," they repeated in a soft union. "We shall see that is done. We shall see that it is done." 

"Go my friends," said the ant, and soon the little army marched in unison up the temple steps.

"Thank you," said Psyche simply as she held Brownie in her lap and watched them enter the temple doors.

She waited patiently for many hours, and then the ants emerged from the temple in a neat, single-file line.

The ant that had spoken for the group bowed again.

"The task is done, milady," said the ant. 

"The task is done. The task is done. The task is done," repeated the others. 

Psyche curtseyed to the ant. "I am forever in your debt, prince of insects."

"Consider it a debt re-payed, instead," replied the ant as he headed on his way.

"Goodbye," said Psyche as the little army disappeared into a nearby hill.

She walked up the steps to the temple and went inside. She expected the ants to have acted with great diligence, but she nevertheless found herself impressed by the twelve baskets lined neatly at the feat of the grand statue. Each was filled to capacity with a single type of grain or another foodstuff. Psyche grinned, imagining Aphrodite's fury. She knew better than to think this alone would prompt the goddess to restore Erik to her, but it certainly would be fun to see the goddess react to this.

She quickly turned back and ran outside the temple because she was determined to thank the ants for their hard work and compassion towards her.

Psyche knew they were repaying a debt from her childhood kindness, but she still wanted to show her gratitude. She reached into her bag and found a small portion of sugar, leftover from her dessert. She walked to the anthill, and she knelt down and poured the sugar into a neat pile near the entrance hole.

"Nothing more than a thank you gift, my friends, no need to repay me for this kindness," she whispered before scooping Brownie in her arms and heading into the temple to wait for the arrival of Venus.

As she stared again at the baskets of food, she realized she was hungry again and had nothing to eat. She placed Brownie beside her and rubbed the dog's belly.

"We'll eat soon, my friend," she said, "I shan't let you suffer on my account."

Psyche waited patiently for a long while, but it appeared Aphrodite was not aware she had finished her task. She thought briefly of summoning the goddess, but after some thought, she wasn't looking forward to Aphrodite's reaction to her success. Initially, she relished the idea, but then began to realize Aphrodite might not take her success kindly. She was suddenly nervous, but not so nervous that she wasn't fatigued. 

Psyche yawned, and Brownie yawned along with her. So, Psyche spread her cloak on the marble floor, twisting the hood up in order to make a pillow. She lay down, and Brownie nestled up next to her.

"I'm glad of your company, Brownie," she said as she drifted off to sleep.