A single radiant ray of sunshine parts the cumulus clouds that are blanketing the noonday sky; its penetrating beam dispersing into dancing motes of light to cast a golden glow onto the verdant green of the forest. Dark emerald foliage turned to chartreuse, as if a painter with the deliberate stroke of a brush decided to draw attention to something that was hidden.
Browned and yellowing leaves carpet the rich soil beneath the trees, seeking to return to them the nutrients they took while fluttering upon their branches. A gentle breeze lazily caresses those still hanging, making no effort to dislodge them, as they cling while waiting to drift downward in autumns embrace.
A broken twig lodged between two leaves, teeters before succumbing to the effect of gravity and spirals to the ground; the wind giving a last minute sigh to turn its decent into a slow glide allowing the twig, graying and etched with deep lines from age and decay, a brief second to be warmed by the ray of sunshine before becoming a part of the patchwork blanket covering the ground. As it lands, a small crimson ant emerges from beneath it, hurrying to one side, before stopping briefly to examine the twig as a potential food source. Caught now in the light and magnified by its attention, the sun’s rays reflect and bounce of the ant’s thorax to give a polished gloss of ruby red to its rounded abdomen. Antenna quivering; its head swivels while raised mandibles click together in annoyance as it seeks to confirm that the danger from above has passed. Then setting all three pairs of powerful legs in motion its moves quickly forward, to recover the seed it had been carrying.
The wind shifts slightly and with it move the clouds, closing the gaps between them, cutting across the ray of sunshine and hiding it within their billowing mass. Suddenly it seems cooler and one can feel that nip of fall air. Leaves that had enjoyed that brief respite release their hold; falling swiftly to languish on the ground. The Ant disturbed by the sudden movement tightens its hold on the seed then rubs its forelegs together to make an angry buzzing sound to warn others of its kind before scurrying back to the colony.
