The Poisonous Alliance
Melina, the sprite of insects, journeyed to the playground of the universe for an audience with Mother Naturella. She had a powerful argument to make for pursuing her own selfish desires.
“There are more insects on Ecovia’s Egg than all trees and animals combined,” Melina declared with conviction. “They dwell in diverse regions of the mainland, from the icy mountains to the scorching deserts. We may be small in size, but we have plenty of spirit and strength to hold our own against all angels.”
“I already know all of this,” Mother Naturella acknowledged. “But what is the purpose of this conversation, dear?”
“Because I deserve to be an angel —a title superior to a sprite,” Melina challenged. “I have waited long enough for you to recognize my value and grant me the dignity. But I can no longer tolerate this injustice. I demand you to crown me as an angel.”
Mother Naturella studied her silently, taking in her dark and armored outfit that resembled the exoskeleton of her insects.
“I can still sense the malice in your gaze as I did when Zooella created you,” Mother Naturella spoke her mind. “Your arrogance and pride prevent you from seeing the difference between right and wrong. You even attempted to wipe out all life on Ecovia. That is why I never crowned you an angel.”
“Mother Naturella, you are biased,” Melina protested, pointing the finger of blame. “Like the angels, you look down on me, on my insects.”
“That is not true, honey,” Mother Naturella replied gently. “Goddess Ecovia painted your insects on her Egg for a reason. They have a vital role in nature, and I cherish you like all my angels and sprites.”
“Since you deny my right, you force me to rebel against the angels and seize the planet for myself,” Melina announced. “Then you will have to reconsider and crown me as an angel.”
“Be careful, sweetie,” Mother Naturella cautioned. “When you seek to hurt others, it can boomerang on you.”
Melina turned her back, deaf to Mother Naturella’s words.
As soon as she returned to Ecovia, Melina sent word out to the queens of the insect colonies to rebuild their numbers. But, after her failed attempt to infest the world, she knew she needed more than numbers to secure a victory against the angels. So, she ventured to the Arid Desert and sought out Saurona, the sprite of reptiles.
“What do you want, Melina?” Saurona hissed in disinterest while she shed her coat to bask in the sun.
“That is no way to welcome a fellow sprite,” Melina scolded, crawling beside her. “I am here to invite the reptiles to join my infestation.”
Saurona finally spared a glance at Melina and laughed. “Ha! Why would I ever consider joining you?”
“Your scaly, slithery friends struggle to survive in these hostile lands, don’t they?” Melina appealed to her with a hint of the grim situation. “Like my insects, your reptiles have to hide and sneak around like outlaws while the plants and animals of our angel sisters roam freely. Why should they suffer in the shadows when they could live in the light?”
“My reptiles are tough and resilient to the harshest environments hurled at them by the daughter angels of Geoella,” Saurona declared with pride. “Now stop bugging me and scram!” she shooed her away.
“You have the right attitude, but are you satisfied with being a mere sprite for the rest of eternity?” Melina goaded with a smirk.
“Well… but…!” Saurona faltered to argue.
Seeing that she had piqued Saurona’s interest, Melina pressed on, “Mother Naturella deems us unworthy. When she witnesses us infesting the world, she will bow to our might and crown us as angels.”
“Are you sure we won’t incur Mother Naturella’s wrath instead?” Saurona voiced her doubt as she began warming up to her plan. “She punished Angel Cordelia by trapping her inside an iceberg for trying to drown Ecovia’s Egg under her sea. I don’t want a similar fate.”
“We will have allies in this war,” Melina assured her. “On my way here, I also met with the leaders of some multipeds and rodents who share our aversion for life on Ecovia’s Egg. They have already pledged to join my forces.”
Saurona still had reservations but agreed to join the army of pests. “You better be right, Melina!”
Melina parted ways feeling more anxiety and doubt about their alliance than anything else. She feared that Saurona might succumb to her misgivings sooner or later and retract the support of her venomous reptiles in the midst of the infestation. If that were to happen, her insects would be left vulnerable, and Melina could not afford that again. So, she resolved to steal Saurona’s poison.
In the third week of summer, all factions of pests —insects, rodents, multipeds, and reptiles— raided the Oxino Jungle. They emerged from their hiding places and launched their infestation to destroy the plants and infect the animals with diseases.
The reptiles saw the insects leading the charge with their stingers and pincers infused with poison. When word of their new ability reached Saurona, she realized what Melina had done.
Saurona confronted Melina at the oasis north of the desert and shouted, “Thief! You stole my elixir!”
“Nonsense,” Melina dismissed her. Pretending to be innocent, she lied, “You are delusional.”
“I searched everywhere for the vial and thought I had lost it. But then I saw your insects with stingers, needles, and pincers dripping with poison. I know your treachery, so give it back now!”
“I don’t have anything to give back,” Melina denied, becoming defensive. “I’m leaving!” She walked away, chirping loudly to avoid any further conversation.
Melina’s deceitful behavior rattled Saurona. She was furious, unwilling to continue the infestation anymore, and ordered her reptiles to attack the insects.
The reptiles turning against the alliance left the multipeds and rodents in a precarious situation. The two factions realized that they had no reason to stay loyal to the insects and went their separate ways to pursue their own agendas.
Just like that, the infestation ended before panic reached severe levels of concern. Since the wildlife never approached the angels for help, the angels remained ignorant of Melina’s second attempt to infest the world.
The reptiles unleashed their fury on the insects, driving the swarms back to their colonies. Melina restlessly buzzed around, unwilling to admit that her schemes had been thwarted once again. Fueled by her unwavering determination to reignite the takeover, she braved the harsh and unforgiving temperatures of the high altitudes to the iceberg perched on the majestic peaks of the mountains to meet Cordelia, the angel of the seas.
“Join my infestation, and we will take over Ecovia together,” Melina proposed, tempting with an alluring promise. “Just give me the waters from the deepest depths of your seas, and I will concoct an elixir that will enable my insects to break you and the iceberg free from the prison of land.”
“Don’t try to use me to turn the tides in your favor,” Cordelia torrented with rage, foaming in the mouth. “I know your tricks, Melina. So I won’t give you anything. Besides, I have no desire to destroy the angels.”
“You don’t?” Melina echoed, bewildered by her lack of resentment. “How can you say that when they tattled to Mother Naturella? Don’t you at least want to get back at Mother Naturella? She grounded only you —the angel whose waters are associated with freedom and liberty— while your sister, Marcelia, the one who sparked the war, roams free?”
“My quarrel with them is none of your business, Melina.” Gazing at the icy blue walls of the iceberg, Cordelia ordered, “Now go. I want to be alone.”
With a sigh of resignation, Melina lifted her head and dragged her feet out of the iceberg, making the long and lonely trek back to her home in the jungle. She gazed at the horizon with bitterness as the sun sunk into the purple haze. A mocking rainbow arched over the sky as if to taunt her with its beauty. She felt a gentle touch on her shoulder and saw Mother Naturella by her side.
“Did you come to mock me for my failure?” Melina snapped with a bitter tone. “Are you glad now that I have blundered my chance to be an angel?”
Mother Naturella shook her head with a sigh. “A title does not make a great leader, Melina. Actions do. And your actions have been against the welfare of your insects.”
“How can you say that?” Melina bristled at her words.
“You use them as pawns in your selfish quest to become an angel, transforming them into savage invaders of land,” Mother Naturella elaborated. “Your elixirs enchanted them to obey the queens of their colony and corrupted them with poison.”
“I did all of that to make sure even the smallest of my bugs can strike fear into the hearts of the biggest of animals,” Melina defended her actions with a defiant tone.
“All insects —even those who never wanted to be part of your pests— will suffer the consequences of your madness,” Mother Naturella tried to make her understand. “They will be hated and hunted and live in fear and misery because of you!”
“Well… I, eh!” Melina stuttered and stammered, unable to refute her words.
“Please, listen to reason. Many of your bugs do not want to be a nuisance to anyone. They want to coexist peacefully with everything Goddess Ecovia painted on her Egg. They cherish the nature that nourishes them and don their colors with pride.”
Melina felt a pang of guilt but tried to hide it. “Well… I, eh!” she fumbled for words again.
“You have gone too far, and you must stop now. If you don’t, the insects will lose reverence for their sprite,” Mother Naturella warned. “So make peace with the angels by offering them your honey. And do not attempt to infest the world again. It breaks my heart to see the destruction of Ecovia’s precious Egg.”
After Mother Naturella left, Melina heeded her words. She realized that she had to be more considerate and respectful of all of her insects.
So, the sly character that Melina was, she announced a reward for the tribe that would successfully infest the world. In this way, she tempted them to pursue her goal for her instead of forcing them into battle at her command.
Despite her dominance over Ecovia and the myriad of her insects, Melina did not give up on her ambition, continuing to be the harbinger of death and destruction. She stayed hidden, biding her time for the perfect opportunity to take over the world.
It was in Melina’s nature to be resentful of the world. Characters like her stubbornly reject any moral guidance. When dealing with them, all one can do is accept that they will never change and be cautious of their devious schemes.
THE END
