The Ants Go Marching On

Construction was underway on a new United Brethren church building in the colonia of El Siete. A few ran the cement mixer. Others carried buckets of mortar and laid cinder blocks. Kids pulled buckets of water from a well for the concrete. Still others leveled the soil inside for the floor. Then suddenly, one by one, everyone stopped working and pointed to a black mass moving across the ground straight toward them from the old railroad trestle. The mass moved in a fluid motion like a cloud, up and over obstacles in its path, but never slowing. It was a swarm of black ants. More pointing and conversation. Some of the kids argued whether they bite or not. It wasn’t a very long argument as soon shrieks of pain went out. Everyone steered clear as the mass moved over a pile of rocks and up the south wall of the church, coloring half of it solid black. Then back down the wall they came, crossed the street, and then were gone….. Back to work.