‘Ten infantry divisions. Approximately 150,000 ants in total.’

‘How many characters can be formed with these numbers?’

‘That depends on the size of the characters. To ensure that the dinosaurs can read them from a distance, I would say no more than a dozen.’

‘All right.’ Kachika thought for a moment. ‘Form the following sentences: “We have come to fix your transmitter. It can save the world.”’

‘That doesn’t explain anything,’ Professor Joya muttered.

‘What choice do we have? It’s too many characters as it is. We’ll just have to try it – it’s better than nothing.’

*

‘The ants are back – and this time there are zillions of them!’

The dinosaur soldiers posted at the entrance to the signal station watched the phalanx of ants marching towards them. It measured about three or four metres square and was rising and falling with the uneven ground like a rippling black flag.

‘Are they coming to attack us?’

‘Doesn’t seem like it. Their formation is strange.’

As the ants slowly drew closer, a sharp-eyed dinosaur shouted, ‘What the…? Those are characters!’

Another dinosaur read haltingly: ‘We… have… come… to… fix… your… trans… mitter… it… can… save… the… world.’

‘I’ve read about this!’ one of them exclaimed. ‘In ancient times the ants communicated with our ancestors like this. And now I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Amazing!’

‘Bullshit!’ The lieutenant flashed a claw. ‘Don’t fall for their tricks! Go and fill some bowls with boiling water from the water heater and bring them here.’

‘Lieutenant,’ a sergeant ventured timidly, ‘don’t you think we should talk to them first? Maybe they genuinely are here to fix the transmitter. The engineer and the others inside are in really desperate need of help.’

The dinosaur soldiers all began to talk at once:

‘What a strange thing to say. How’s this transmitter supposed to save the world?’

‘Whose world – ours or theirs?’

‘The signal sent out by this transmitter has got to be important.’

‘For sure – why else would the emperor personally give the order to send it every day?’

‘Idiots!’ barked the lieutenant. ‘You still trust the ants even now? It was our gullibility that allowed them to destroy the empire. They are the most despicable, treacherous insects on Earth and we will never let them fool us again. Go and fetch that boiling water. Double-quick!’

The five dinosaur soldiers raced off and within minutes were back with bath-sized vats of boiling water gripped between their claws. They fanned out in a long, steamy row, advanced rapidly and on the count of three hurled the boiling water over the ant formation. Scalding spray flew in all directions, generating voluminous clouds of hissing vapour. The black line of text on the ground was washed away, and more than half of the ants were boiled alive.

*