Chrysalis

“Congratulations,” Enid smiled down on the still recovering young woman.

“Thank you mayor,” Lilin replied, radiantly happy despite what she’d just been through.

“We’re very happy,” her husband Phillip said as he stared lovingly down at his wife.

“And how has the care you’ve received been?’

“Oh, just perfect,” Lilin said.

“We couldn’t be happier, mayor. Thank you,” Phillip said.

“That’s good. After the effort we put into building this place, I’m glad it’s all come together.”

[We told you it would be fine,] the on-rotation ant-medic said. [I still don’t understand why you doubted us in the first place. When is the Colony anything but first-rate?]

[I should have believed in you,] Enid admitted, [but even I wasn’t sure how well you would be able to run a maternity ward. You don’t know anything about human reproduction.]

[Bah,] the ant groused, [our queens give birth hundreds of times every day. You think we can’t heal someone who has given birth only once? Don’t be ridiculous. Now get out of the way, I need to check the patient.]

Healers, medics and doctors always managed to be rude and ill-tempered. Even the non-human ones! In some ways, Enid took comfort knowing that this fact of life was even more universal than she’d thought.

see over the top of the bed Lilin rested in. Even if the eyes didn’t quite reach, the antennae certainly did. The recovering mother was lightly tapped and brushed by those curious feelers as Lilin’s eyes took on

brightly as they imparted

backed up and began

she said, [the baby has been cleaned up and checked. It

healer ant. For a moment, Enid was forced to confront just how bizarre it was that she

it was a younger, less evolved healer. She hadn’t had time to absorb the proper grumpiness expected

in to embrace them both, Enid brushed a tear from her eye. Such a

leave you to

smiled at them once more before

own hospital? It was less than a year ago that they had fled the ruins of their homes, and already they thrived as

exited the facility, doing her best to stay out of everyone’s way. She stepped out

and expensive, which made it rare, at least,

credit for that, but even there, the influence of the Colony was felt. Traffic flowed so smoothly, it was rare to see someone waiting more than a few seconds

destination, the citizens pleased to see her and unafraid to approach and ask whatever questions were on their minds. She welcomed it. Where not long ago these exchanges were a never ending series of disasters as too few resources were divided amongst too many people, now that desperate

people were comfortable. In fact, the people were thriving. Renewal had more than

chambers in time, her own office situated in the same building. She walked behind her desk and sat with a weary sigh, her old

were so stiff these days, and healing magic didn’t help at all. It wasn’t possible to

grabbed a pen and began to compose a letter. It wasn’t overly long, but she carefully pondered each word, which dragged out the time. As it turned out, she finished

place it in an envelope and seal it, but decided against it. A waste of paper. Too inefficient, as the