“Get a load of those feet,” said the large bodied black beetle.
Clancy immediately pulled his feet under his walnut shaped body and plunked flat against the ground. “No one’s going to like me,” he sniffled. It was Clancy’s first day at his new school, and he had hoped the kids wouldn’t be as mean as the ones at his last school. He raised his body a little trying not to show his feet. That was nearly impossible since his feet were truly too big for such a tiny beetle. In fact, Clancy’s feet didn’t even look like beetle feet. Instead of being long and spiny, they were short and fat and looked more like a duck’s feet.
“Welcome Clancy; I’m Miss Rose,” said a tall red beetle with white spots. As most teachers do, Miss Rose ignored Clancy’s shyness and led him to his seat.
Before Clancy could sit down, he heard a whisper from behind him say, “Ever see anything so funny?”
Another hushed voice beside him answered, “I bet his mother is a duck.”
Clancy was nearly ready to cry when Miss Rose tapped her desk for silence. “Good morning children. Please take out your books and open to page fifteen.”
After some clatter,s and bangs, and ruffling of pages Miss Rose said, “Today we’ll study the chapter on self-defense. Our school security has informed us that fire ants are in the area. You know how dangerous those are!”
Clancy heard a loud pop at the back of the room and everybody giggled.
“Come forward, Bombus!” said Miss Rose, her voice stern. “Since you seem to want attention you may be the first to explain how you defend yourself.
Bombus waddled forward, his fat body scraping desks along the way, Clancy’s nose wrinkled at the sour smell the black beetle left behind. “Aw everybody knows I out-shoot all my enemies,” said Bombus. He raised his body a bit to show off the guns under his bottom. Then he let out another pop.
Clancy started to giggle but stopped himself quickly when he saw another classmate stare at his feet.
“You can return to your seat, Bombus,” said Miss Rose as she turned to a spindly pupil in the 3rd row. “Stika, would you like to share how you defend yourself?”
Stika smiled and got up. As she came forward, Clancy started to slouch in his seat. He worried Miss Rose would call on him. I don’t know anything about self defense he thought; and if I go up front, the kids will laugh at my funny feet.
“Mamma told me I have to stand very still anytime there is danger,” said Stika in her buttery hum.
“Can anyone tell me why?” asked Miss Rose.
Clancy looked Stika over and noticed she was very skinny. Standing quietly she looked so much like a stick nobody would know she was alive.
A brilliant green beetle skittered to the front of the class and chattered, “We all know Sticka’s a Walking Stick-a.”
The children laughed again and Miss Rose had to tap her desk for quiet. “You know to raise your hand, Emerelda!” she said. “Sit down and wait your turn.”
“P L E A S E . . .” pleaded Emerelda.
“Well, alright; but next time you must wait your turn.”
Clancy wondered at how hard and green Emerelda looked, but he didn’t raise his hand to ask about it. Instead he settled himself lower in his seat hoping the class would be over before Miss Rose would call on him. He pulled his feet farther under the desk and looked around to check that no one was staring at him.
Emerelda grinned at the class and said, “My green is so bright nobody thinks I’m tasty.” She skittered back to her desk as quickly as she had come forward.
Miss Rose smiled a friendly smile at Clancy. He looked around, hoping she was looking past him, but she called his name. “Come forward, Clancy, and tell us about yourself.”
Clancy knew everybody was looking at him now. He stood up and nervously waddled to the front of the room, ready to explain that he had no way to defend himself. Hearing a chortle, he felt ashamed of his feet. He tried walking without letting them show, and stumbled. Someone started to snicker.
“Children!” said Miss Rose sharply. “I want you to meet Clancy, our new student. He is very special . . . and . . .”
A loud bang interrupted the introduction. Before anyone knew what was happening, hundreds of fire ants crashed through the door ready to attacking the beetle children.
Clancy was terrified. All he could think to do was pull his funny feet in under his shell shaped body and plunk himself flat against the ground hoping the ants wouldn’t see him.
The noise in the schoolroom was awful. There were screams, pops, buzzing. He prayed that the other kids would find places to hide or knew how to use their weapons, like Bombus. Seconds later, Clancy felt something touch his back. Remembering that Sticka had been told to hold very still, he did the same, terrified that an ant was trying to kill him.
When the noise died down, Clancy didn’t notice it right away. Under his shell, he shivered so hard he couldn't hear anything. Something was still trying to move him. Clancy dared to raise his body a tiny bit. There was a burst of laughter.
My feet are showing, he thought. He took a peek anyway, sure the children were laughing at him; but they weren't laughing at him at all. Instead they were laughing at a single fire ant angrily stomping out of the classroom.
“How did you do it, Clancy?” asked Bombus.
"Do what," wondered Clancy?
“That nasty ant has been trying to get at you for the last five minutes. What did you do?”
Clancy didn’t understand what Bombus was talking about. Miss Rose came to his help.
“Clancy, would you please show us your feet,” she said.
Clancy almost plunked down in fright, but he knew he’d better do what Miss Rose said. Slowly he put out one foot, then another and another. When all 6 feet were out, Miss Rose said, “I want you to know that Clancy’s feet are what keep him from being eaten alive.”
"Huh?" thought Clancy looking down at his feet. He turned to look at Miss Rose with a big question mark on his face.
“Tell us, Clancy; what did you do when you smacked down like you did during the ant attack?”
“Uh, I, uh . . .I guess I kind of curled my toes to hold on to the floor.”
“Exactly!” said Miss Rose. “No one can harm Clancy as long as he stays plunked down tight against the ground with those funny feet you have all been laughing at.”
Clancy saw wonder and delight on all his classmate’s faces, and suddenly felt very good about himself. The teacher patted his back, and then everyone gathered around to look at Clancy’s wonderful funny feet.
Tehehe great little story. :)
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