Now, whenever he saw a column trudging along, he imagined them as tiny Greek soldiers, marching off to overthrow a neighbouring city-state.
Their exoskeletons provided ready-made helmets and cuirasses. Their swords were mandibles and stings, their spears sprays of formic acid.
They were brave, merciless, without fear. Every battle was a Thermopylae. Their legions were everywhere. Perhaps even in space, and not as a science experiment aboard the Space Shuttle, but as stowaways on Mir.
He imagined ant scientists launching their own rockets and sending ant astronauts into space. They'd be wearing white spacesuits with transparent bubbles around their heads. They wouldn't have to worry about cosmic rays.
When humans finally reached Mars, they'd find anthills there.
