Trapped

May 22nd, 2006

I had just worn out my last pair of contact lens. Waiting on my new ones to arrive from the USA, and without a pair of eyeglasses, I was as blind as a bat! To make my predicament more challenging, my husband was leaving on a village trip with his Liberian friend Enoch, which would leave me home alone, with my Liberian friend Doris nearby. Suddenly, I envisioned armies of African driver ants invading my bedroom while I slept. With such poor eyesight, how could I detect the ants quickly enough before they marched into my home in full force? By my ingenuity and intelligence, I reasoned! I determined to be brave and fearless.

 
That first night home alone, I kept a constant watchful vigil, stooping down frequently to inspect every corner of the house. Satisfied that I had everything under control, I was just about to crawl into bed when I spied my first bit of evidence. One tiny trail of army ants had penetrated my living room wall. In horror I watched as another troop forced its way into my bedroom! Leaping onto a chair, I panicked. “Oh no, I’m going to be eaten alive! How can I stop these devouring creatures?” Suddenly, I jumped to the floor and began stomping on as many ants as I could; but they just kept on coming! In desperation I evacuated the house, screaming for the help of my friend Doris, who immediately came to my rescue.

 
“Kerosene, where’s your kerosene?” she urgently inquired. Finding some, she quickly poured it all around my house, daring any more fighters to enter. She then raced inside to finish stomping out the remaining enemy. The battle won, I was finally safe! Doris promised me that she would remain on guard, so I could get a good night’s sleep. “Thank you.” I sobbed, as I tumbled into bed, exhausted….