Tuna, ants, and the hairy dog

Thursday afternoon. I am settled in a bar and watch a colony of ants carry a big chunk of tuna.

The circle of life. Once a big tuna got unlucky and found himself in a net. Then made his way through “civilization”,  into a can. Ended up in a store and eventually got used for my salad. Found the leftovers of himself to be surrounded by slices of cucumber, tomato, lettuce, and lots of salad dressing. By accident I drop a piece of him on the floor.

Almost immediately the ants become aware, team up, and move the tuna considerably quick. I notice, because some of their scouts are exploring my foot as well. I start calculating how fast they are. A meter in five minutes would make twelve meters in an hour. If they continue working this hard.

Then something happens- it puzzles me. The ants turn around. Take the tuna back in the exact same direction as where they were just carrying it away from. I wonder about their motive. Lack of strategy? Being inefficient?  Or is there a practical reason?

A small hairy dog walks around the restaurant too. A couple of meters away from me, the tuna, and the ants. I wonder what will happen if she smells the tuna. Would she decide to eat it, including the ants?  Or is she still  satisfied from her kitchen leftovers earlier?

I get distracted for a moment. A couple walks in and asks if they can storage luggage.

Again I look down in search of the ants and their transportation project. They have disappeared. The dog has disappeared as well. I wonder what has happened, if something has happened. It is a curious world we live in.

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