Silver Linings

"Hey, no sleeping on the job!"

Artie slowly got to his feet. "I just needed a little break, Gerold."

"Hey little bro, as soon as we're done here we can relax all night."

Artie sighed. Gerold always had a positive attitude, despite their awful circumstances. This job, for example. It was the most mind-numbing endeavor he'd ever participated in, but leave it to Gerold to find a silver lining. Groaning, Artie heaved the huge slab of oak - what would soon become a table - onto his back and continued along the path next to Gerold.

"Gerold, why are we doing this?"

"Because El Jefe told us to."

"I mean existentially. Why are we here right now performing this menial task when there are so many better things we could be doing?"

It was Gerold's turn to sigh. "Give it up, Artie! We're ants. This is what we do. Besides if we don't do our part, we're homeless. Quid pro quo, brother."

"More like slave labor," Artie mumbled, hanging his head.

"What did you just say?"

Artie's head snapped up, and he was nose-to-nose with Commander Coshenko. A real bastard. As Artie opened his mouth to respond, the ground vibrated once, then twice, and a scream pierced the air.

"CROW!" All hell broke loose in an instant. Artie threw the oak aside and ran. He could hear the predator approaching, but didn't dare look back. He spotted Gerold a few paces ahead just as a shadow cast over them. A pointed beak struck the ground, and Artie lost sight of his brother. Heart sinking, he looked up to the heavens. Artie couldn't help but laugh at the sight of Commander Coshenko dangling from the bird's mouth. Gerold found Artie, and they returned to the stampede together. Silver linings indeed.


Word Count: 299