Wilson Qin

Here he was, one little guy in the world, peering one way, and then glancing another. His name was Barry Milton, and he was trapped in a skyscraper office building. Like two beady black marbles, his eyes surveyed his surroundings. Lifting his arm up and craning his neck, Barry looked to the sky for guidance. A stray beam of sunlight managed to bypass a diminutive hole in the building’s cast-iron canopy. It was already well past midday, and the warmth of this radiation reminded Barry just how cold the corporation had been in releasing him earlier this morning.

Actually, Barry decided to quit himself. Day after day, he just couldn’t stand his monotonous job anymore. The stucco and brown walled interiors of his office lacked excitement and his coworkers were industrious overachievers who never stopped to converse with him. In addition, his superiors unjustly oppressed him. Barry’s ideas and contributions during weekly meetings were usually ignored, rejected, or even labeled as downright outlandish. Worse, Ms. Elizabeth, the President of the corporation, was exasperated by his inability to perform narrow-minded tasks and his lack of compliance with corporate regulations. So Barry decided to retain what little honor he had left by resigning his position before that malevolent despot could get a chance to fire him.

For years, Barry had hoped to join the Green Union Travel Agency and escape his barren workplace. It had been rumored that the agency was one of the friendliest companies to work for, since employees could freely offer ideas and collaborate with each other. Inadvertently, Barry’s heart would soar with joy every time he thought about working at this utopian company; no longer would there be expectations of submission to superiors, claustrophobic office space, or an oppressive atmosphere. Gleefully, Barry chuckled. Now he could finally become the jungle tour guide that he had always dreamt of being. He was sold that the Green Union Travel Agency was his place in the world.

Although Barry did not have the exact address of the company’s headquarters, he knew that if he followed his instincts he would find the location soon enough. Changing directions every so often, he eventually found himself in a dense forest of greenery. However, obstacles lay in every direction. Blocking all access southward and westward, a river cut right through the middle of the road. From the north, he was penned in by a vast valley. Finally, he was forced to go back in his original direction.

After yet another distance of trekking, the ground sloped up gradually. The terrain was no longer a packed dirt path winding through the forest. It transitioned, becoming sand, gravel, and then solid stone, as the forest was left behind. Soon, Barry found himself on the precipice of a rock overhang. He glanced over the cliff, peering down at the land below him. At a distance, his home was visible, sitting atop a hill on the other side of an expansive lake. Yet, no regret filled his heart. Barry just wanted to leave everything behind him and embark on a new adventure in life.

As the sun was setting, Barry quietly reflected on the events of the day. Suddenly, with arms outstretched towards the horizon, he proclaimed to the world, “I AM BARRY MILTON THE JUNGLE TOUR -”

“Milton, get back to work!”

Barry received an icy slap from reality. Once again he returned to work, realizing that his aspiration would never be reached, just like all his other previous dreams of liberation. Living the subservient life of a worker ant was destined to be his fate.

Barry sighed, “Yes, Your Highness.” He could not even think for himself without being interrupted by the Queen’s strict reprimands.

Besides, the Queen had said that worker ants were not allowed to have dreams.