Chapter 2

The pair were ushered into the tunnel which seemed as dark as pitch. Slowly Anna found that her eyes adjusted. She realised how good they were at picking up the slightest shades of light and darkness. At the same time, she felt her antennae working overtime on the top of her head, darting backwards and forwards and helping her to feel her way.

The tunnel quickly opened out into a chamber, and what a sight beheld the pair. Everywhere were insects, of all types and sizes, scuttling and buzzing this way and that. The scene was chaotic but, Anna thought as she followed their paths, each insect seemed to have a sense of purpose as they criss-crossed from the hundreds of tunnels that she could make out in the gloom. Then the noise started. First, a quiet hum, it grew into a deep, droning sound which seemed to vibrate right through her body. As it sounded, the scene before her transformed. Each insect seemed to pause for only a second before they all changed direction and headed off down the main tunnel. "What's that noise?" she asked her companion. "The horn of gathering," Ernest explained. "It is sounded to tell all the insects to go to the central chamber.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “I have only heard it once in my entire life,” he confided. “I don’t suppose we need a guide any more,” noted Anna. Ernest nodded and they joined the flow of insects.

Once in the throng, Ernest and Anna had little choice but to be carried along. The tunnel widened until eventually it opened into a wide chamber.

“Is this it?” questioned Anna. “I don’t see..”

“Shhh!” hissed the earwig. He cocked his head towards a number of tunnels running along one side of the chamber. Next to each tunnel, a line of insects was forming. “They’re waiting for the signal,” whispered Ernest. At that moment, Anna heard a new sound – or at least, she heard it in her head. It was like the chiming of a clock.

“Quickly, join a line!”

Anna scuttled behind Ernest, who was already disappearing into one of the tunnels. She entered, nearly tripping over the seed that she still held, clenched in her mandibles. She was so busy regaining her balance that she barely noticed how short the tunnel was. That is, until she looked up.

“Wowww!” she exclaimed, craning her neck as she squinted up at the roof of the biggest cave she had ever seen.

“Impressed? You should be!” said Ernest, loudly above the chatter and clatter of insects all around them. “This cave was carved out of the earth by ten million of our brethren over a hundred generations. As one insect died, it is said, a child took its place. Amazing …” The earwig continued to mutter as he moved forward into the crowd. He went as far as he could, before stopping as the creatures in front of him could move no further. Anna scuttled forward, worried that she might lose him in the crowd.

The noise began to hush and the crowd became still. As best she could, Anna looked, over the heads of the others, towards a raised mound at the far edge of the cave. Upon it stood a small beetle whose wing casing was the darkest shade of red.

“Ern-“ she started.

“Quiet!” hissed Ernest.

“This is getting all too familiar,” thought Anna to herself. “If he tells me to be quiet once more – “

Once again, Anna was interrupted, this time by the red beetle on the mound. “The Horn,” he began (a little rudely, thought Anna) “has been sounded.” He paused and the menagerie of insects in front of him waited for what he would say next.

The red beetle lowered his voice. “Is there anyone here who can tell me – Why?”

Another pause was followed by a quiet muttering from a distant part of the cave.

“Sir –” began a voice.

“I hear you,” answered the beetle.

“It was I that sounded the horn,” replied the voice.

“So –”

“Sir, I believe the seed of Cycanthus has been returned.”

The cave exploded with noise as every insect started chattering to its neighbours.

“QUIET!”