“No, we gotta find another way – we gotta find another way – God doesn't walk around having us squished flat because we don't know what way to go – we gotta find another way!”
Nine-year-old George Ludlow was poised to start smashing ants who were making a trail into the Ludlow home, but got tackled and dragged clear out of the house by his seven-year-old sister Amanda, who was having no living thing harmed that was not a clear harm to her and her family.
Mrs. Thalia Ludlow observed this access of superhuman strength from Amanda with surprise, but quickly went and found out what was going on with her grandchildren.
“But they're just ants!” George was saying.
“God made them on the sixth day with us and He said they were good – we're just not going to be squishing them if there's another way!” Amanda yelled.
“OK, I've heard you,” Mrs. Ludlow said as she untangled the two siblings. “You know, Amanda, George is your brother and you could have hurt him.”
“No she can't!” George said.
“I wouldn't do it except to save a life – and I'm sorry, George!” Amanda said as she threw her arms around her brother and knocked him down again.
“Ow,” George said as Mrs. Ludlow untangled the two again.
“OK, let's just get calmed down for a few moments,” Mrs. Ludlow said as she embraced them both.
After a minute of snuggling, Mrs. Ludlow said, “Ants just don't come into the house except for a reason – they are like an army that sends out scouts looking for food or water, or looking for safe higher ground because water is rising where they live. It has been raining an awful lot, but not this week.”
“There wasn't that many; it wasn't moving day or anything,” George said.
“Why don't we follow them and see what we can find out?” Mrs. Ludlow said.
“OK!” the two little Ludlows said.
So Mrs. Ludlow and George and Amanda followed the trail and found out what had happened: someone had missed the trash can to the back of it with a cupcake wrapper, and the ants had found it.
“We definitely gotta be more careful because lives are at stake!” Amanda said. “What do we do now?”
“Do we have any cupcakes left?” George said.
“Well, let's follow the ants back to their home, and we'll deliver them their food,” Mrs. Ludlow said and gently blew on the ants to scatter them and picked up the cupcake wrapper, put it in the trash, and put cinnamon down instead. “Ants do not like cinnamon and will tell each other there's no food here.”
So the Ludlows walked outside and followed the ant trail back to a little bush in the yard. Mrs. Ludlow put the wrapper down there, and then went back into the house and got a teaspoon of sugar and put it down on the trail while it was still quite far from the house.
“OK, so, let's go watch,” Mrs. Ludlow said.
And Amanda and George watched as the ants figured out there was no more food in the Ludlow home, and enjoyed their sugar instead.
“OK, so, that's how we do that!” Amanda said. “Yay!”
“I still need a cupcake, though,” George said as he got up to go into the house.
