The mound loomed in front of him. It was home, the only one he knew. Charlie stood a few feet away, procrastinating. He had done his work, but it wasn’t his best and he knew that. He was burned out and knew he needed a break. Charlie was tired of requesting vacation time and being denied.
He could hear his manager now. “You must give your life to your job. We can’t expect you to slack off. What would our queen think? She expects the best from everyone, all the time.”
It was a constant, this being a worker drone. It was always MORE, FASTER, BETTER. No incentive for improvement. They drilled this into him from birth. There was no way to move up in such a society. It was always the same, day in and day out.
He kept on thinking of ways to escape. Would they discover him? Would someone catch him? He was unaware of any other escapes. Charlie never participated in any of the workshops on how to be a better worker. He was a loner, an oddity in a society so rigidly social.
A few other workers passed him up. One of them stopped and gave Charlie a disapproving look. “Better hurry, Charlie. It’s almost time for check in. We can’t be late, you’re dirty.”
Charlie nodded in acknowledgment and stopped to clean himself up from the bits of dirt and gravel that covered him. He had a meeting later with his shift manager. No excuse for showing up dirty.
He walked a couple of inches and then stopped. The mound was busy with the shift change, as worker drones brought back dirt, bits of gravel and other things. The shift leaders stood outside the mound, directing the workers on duty down the correct tunnels.
“I just can’t. I cannot go back. I’d rather cut off my antenna.”
This was the only home he knew. But was it worth being miserable all the time? He wanted excitement. And adventure. What if he didn’t go back? Can he find a better mound elsewhere? Was there such a place? Or could he live on his own?
There was only one way to find out. With one last glance at his home, he walked away. He was excited to find out where he would end up.