they cheer for static

i sat on the couch. she sat kitty-cornered on the other couch.
she smiled a cute little smile.

"sarah," i managed. "is it over?"

"no."

i gazed a markedly dismal gaze that she didn't even attempt to return. i saw that she would keep staring away.
directly in front of her rested a television. blank blackness was all i saw. the movie was clearly...
i pulled the blinds on the shady silence: "is it over now?"

"no." more staring.

the television broke into static.
jumping.
stamping.
shouting:

"they're fighting again!!! go white!"

then she left the room.
i heard the adjacent room come alive. "guys! its happening again... ants're fighting again!... come on!" suddenly they were all approaching the first room with speed.
hopping.
marching.
yelling:

"go black!"
"come on white"
"yeah-ay!"
"go-o white"

this was the story. this was the struggle. for some unknown reason, when VHS tapes came to their end, the epic battles between the black and the white ants were televised.

excitement
chaos
foolishness:

how simple had i been to think that the movie was over? how foolish... how could i... how could i think that that all this conflict was only static. this was valiant, for all antkind...
i began to ponder. i had a dream. a dream of a world where all ants - black and white - could live together freely. no more fighting on tv. no more battles each time a VHS ends, or a channle isn't coming in clear. they could share the screen, coexist. no more needless and painful conflicts...

click. my brother had turned off the tv.

"black won!"

'so much for dreaming,' i thought.