Open-minded

Open-minded

Under the weight of the hundreds of horrified eyes staring at him in stunned silence, Jax could feel all six of his legs buckle. The weekly meeting was usually a boring affair where personal grievances were aired and gossip was exchanged, but every now and then someone had some exciting news about food. Today, Jax was that someone, and when he told the rest of the colony where the new food source he'd discovered was, they all listened in excited anticipation. He knew that part wouldn’t go over well, but he didn’t expect this. It's likely that he should have. “Did you really just suggest we go into the Light?” Grandfather Cluster questioned with incredulity. "Definitely not!" “But…” Jax began.

“The answer is no, Jax!” Grand Aunt Leaky snapped. “What you’re suggesting is nothing short of madness!” The rest of the Elders waved their antennae in agreement.

Jax felt more and more irritated. From the moment he and his two dozen siblings hatched they had been taught to embrace the Dark and fear the Light. While the Light struck the Giants with crushing blows, the Dark let them move around in safety. The Dark was life and the Light was death, said the Elders. But what Jax had seen had thrown all their wisdom into question, and he simply could not stay silent.

“With all due respect, Elders, I’ve seen the Light and it offers not death, but chocolate!” Loud gasps echoed though the room, and the thousands of eyes instantly shifted from horror to awe. Emboldened, Jax continued. “The Light has a mountain of soft, sweet chocolate sitting out on the Great Tiled Plain! I can lead us there right now!”

Excited murmurs began to ripple through the colony. Even if it meant entering Light, a large supply of chocolate was certainly hard to pass up. Unaccustomed to being challenged, Grandfather Cluster and Aunt Leaky sputtered in rage. But just as it looked like Jax had won them over, a rapid series of shrill clicks echoed through the room. The chatter immediately ceased as Great-Grandfather Husk slowly scuttled in. Two missing limbs and an antennae impeded his movement, evidence of a life filled with difficult lessons learned. As Husk walked over and examined Jax with his one good eye, Jax swallowed with nervousness. "So...you think you know everything now because you saw the Light once?" He barked. Jax gulped, "I never said I did, sir." "I only meant that..." “Do you know how I got these scars?” Husk bellowed, waving his stumps. “I, too, was once seduced by her sweet promises and warm embrace. However, it was nothing but lies! His voice dropped to a whisper. “I was one of the lucky ones. Most who dance with Lady Light never make it back.”

Silence filled the room. Husk looked Jax square in the eye with a look that dared the young one to challenge him. Jax looked to the colony for support, but they had traded their excitement for averted gazes and drooping antennas. He bowed his head and said, "I'm sorry Great-Grandfather Husk." “You’re forgiven,” Husk replied with a small smile. He looked over at the Elders. “I think it’s time we wrapped things up. The Dark will be here soon.” The Elders gave a respectful nod, and the colony stood silently and respectfully as their patriarch slowly made his way back the way he had come. Once Husk was gone the meeting wrapped and everyone quietly filed out of the room to prepare for the evening forage, not one of them sparing a glance at the jerk who got their hopes up. Jax could feel the chill rattling around in his exoskeleton. He waited for five minutes after they were gone to leave himself, only to find his brother Rance waiting for him outside.

Preparing for a barrage of sibling ridicule, Jax huffed, "I know, I know, I'm an idiot." Rance replied, his antennae trembling with amusement, "Relax, Jax, I'm not here for that." “Come with me.” He then turned and scurried off, much to Jax’s annoyance. Naturally, just as the Elders expected him to adhere to their outmoded ideas, so did his older brother. He was no longer a nymph; rather, he was a full colonist, and it was about time- “NOW!” Jax dashed in quick succession after Rance's yell. Jax’s resentment turned to curiosity as Rance’s scent led him away from the main nesting areas and down into an abandoned tunnel that had fallen into disrepair. Jax gingerly stepped over eggshells and squeezed through partially collapsed sections until he arrived at an old hatchery. Waiting for him was Rance and about a dozen other roaches. “Welcome to Light Club!” Rance announced proudly.

“Light Club?” Jax blinked.

He was suddenly confronted by a roach Jax recognized as Crust, Rance's best friend. “First rule of Light Club, don’t talk about Light Club!” He yelled. “Back off, Crust, you know I wouldn’t have brought my little bro into this if he wasn’t cool,” Rance said. Crust’s beady eyes narrowed, but he did as Rance instructed. “Sorry, Jax, what Crust meant to say is, don’t talk about Light Club outside of this room.”

“But what is Li-what is it?” Jax inquired. Rance stated, "We seek to dispel the myth of the Light." “The Elders make us fear the Light to keep us tied to the old ways, so that they alone control the colony’s every move. Light Club seeks to dispel these lies and embrace a bold new future, one where we no longer have to settle for whatever crumbs the Dark sees fit to throw us, but we couldn’t figure out how to do it. The crazy story was then told to us. “It’s not crazy! It is the fact!" Jax cried out. “Hey, I believe you bro, but nobody else will without proof,” Rance said. “That’s why you’re going to take me to this fantastical chocolate mountain and get some!”

“What, now?” Jax blinked.

“Yes, now! Let's move! Rance said, and scurried into the tunnel. Jax followed, his thoughts racing. They were actually doing it. Against everything they'd been taught, and promising them more chocolate than they could ever eat in a lifetime! It was exhilarating. His excitement was palpable. Jax caught up to Rance at the entrance and saw that he was trembling too, but for an entirely different reason.

Great-Grandfather Husk said, "Hello Jax." “Perhaps you can tell me where you boys are off too at this odd hour. Your brother seems to have lost the ability to answer a simple question.” He nodded at Rance, who looked like he was about to throw up.

“Rance feels sick!” Jax blurted out. “I’m taking him to Steel Pipe Falls for some water.” In the hope of disarming the patriarch's rigid gaze, he finished his explanation with a sheepish grin.

Husk's keen eye shifted back and forth between Jax and Rance. “And what were you doing down that old tunnel? Get lost on your way to the Falls, did you?”

Rance began to dry heave. "Sorry, Great-Grandfather Husk, but we absolutely must leave!" Jax stated. Rance was quickly led away by him, and he didn't stop until they got to Entrance Crack 116AB. It led right to the Great Tiled Plain, but it was rarely used since the Plain offered little in the way of food or hiding places, making it a risky venture even in the Dark. This is the end. Ready to have your mind blown, Rance?” Jax asked breathlessly.

Rance suggested, "Maybe we should turn back." "To dispel suspicion, go to Steel Pipe Falls as we promised, and try this another day." Jax turned to Rance and was surprised to see him looking even paler and more nauseous, not at all like his usual cocky self. “We’re so close, Rance! We'll be inside in a flash. Remember, the Light is nothing to be afraid of? Crack 116AB caught Rance's eye as he bent down. As if inviting them inside, the Light was coming through from the other side. Jax was shocked to see Rance take a half step backwards. “Rance?” He said, but Rance turned away from him. “Wait here, I’ll be right back,” Jax sighed, and squeezed through to the other side.

Massive as it was, the chocolate mountain was the first thing he saw, sitting right where he remembered it was. The air was still and quiet while he stood still for a few moments looking for danger. He hurried over, the scent of chocolate growing so strong that he practically had to wade through it to reach the mountain's base, and his disappointment over Rance vanished. At last! After spending so much time admiring it from afar and dreaming about it and singing its praises to anyone who would listen, he was standing right in front of it. All he had to do was reach out and…

His body, which had evolved over millions of years, suddenly sent a shockwave of panic to his brain. Instinctively Jax began scurrying back to the crack when the piercing roar of a Giant tore through the air. He was suddenly covered in a soft white blanket that started to close around him. A frantic burst of energy allowed him to scramble out of its grasp and he hit the ground running. He raced to the Great Tile Plain's edge and scurried under it, knowing he wouldn't be able to return to the crack in time. Finding a small niche he crammed his body in as far as it would go, and waited.

The hairs on his legs quivered violently, as if trying to tear themselves free to run away. The Giant was close by, and he could smell it searching for him. Then he heard another defining roar, and as quickly as it had arrived, the Giant was suddenly gone. Jax no longer herd the stomping of a massive monster, but the pattering of dozens of little feet. Feet that was very familiar. Jax freed himself and raced back to the top of the Plain, where he saw Rance and the rest of the Light Club running around calling for him. "He's there!" Jax heard Crust yell. Everyone quickly swarmed around Jax, clicking in joy and relief. Rance pushed his way to the front and the two brothers waved their antennae over one another with brotherly affection.

"Are you ok?" He asked. Jax gave a nod. "Then let's leave this place!" "I can't believe you got the whole club to chase me!" As they rushed back to the crack, Jax said. “How did they get here so fast?”

“I’d love to take the credit, but it wasn’t me,” Rance said, gesturing for Jax to go first. Jax squeezed through the crack and gasped in shock at what was waiting for him on the other side, and briefly wished the Giant had succeeded in killing him.

******

Much to Jax’s surprise, Great-Grandfather Husk didn’t rip his head clean off. Instead, he took him back to his burrow and gave him a dry muffin crumb from his own reserve. The adrenaline quickly left Jax's system, and he soon fell asleep as he ate and rested. When he awoke, Husk was staring at him thoughtfully. “I’m sorry, Great-Grandfather Husk,” he said. I cannot believe how stupid I was. I’ll never question you or the Elders again.”

“Then you really will be an idiot,” Husk snorted, surprising Jax yet again. “Blind obedience isn’t any better than reckless abandon. We need young people who are not afraid to break the rules. You just need to be smarter about it.”

Jax had never been so confused in his life. “So…was this some kind of test?”

“You need a lot of gumption if you’re going to dance with Lady Light,” Husk said. His stumps were waved. “These scars don’t just represent my mistakes, they also represent the wisdom I gleaned from them. The Giants, for instance, are actually rather reserved. They can handle one or two of us, but when we swarm, they flee. “I was a hair’s length from chocolate mountain and I blew it,” Jax said gloomily. “I let the whole colony down.”

“Not necessarily,” Husk said. The two of them emerged from the burrow after he signaled for Jax to accompany him. It didn’t take long for Jax to realize they were headed for the Great Plastic Pit, where the Giants dumped their garbage. There was food to forage in there, but it was mostly rotting scraps mixed in with a lot of inedible waste, and usually not worth the effort. But as the Pit came into view, a familiar heavenly smell hit Jax’s senses. He rushed over and peered over the edge.

There was chocolate mountain, lying on the top of the heap with half the colony happily pouring over it, including the Light Club. One of them noticed Jax and let out a loud cheer, the rest quickly joining in. “Another trick I learned when I was your age,” Husk chuckled as he ambled up next to Jax. “If the Giants see you within a hair’s length from their stuff, they throw it into the Pit. I’ve been trying to get those fuddy-duddy Elders to listen for years. Possibly they will now, thanks to you. Jax could feel a warm glow tingling all over him, even though the Light was far away from the Pit. He saw Rance, Crust and the others beckoning him to join them. He cast a glance at Great-Grandfather Husk’s approving smile, gave him one in return, and dove in.

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