The Mighty Ant

Setting aside just a few minutes to read a story to a loved one can create wonderful moments that might be otherwise lost to silence. Also, many, who love to read, often find it difficult to follow a complicated plot. Some complain that they can't read a full length story because they forget the details halfway through. The Mighty Ant began as an idea to reach out to seniors or others who might be experiencing or caring for those with cognitive dysfunction, while finding a way to contribute funds from the proceeds of the book sales to North Carolina's Chatham County Council on Aging. Submissions of short, easy to understand stories were requested from writers (both professional and amateur) who wanted to participate in this project. As editor and contributor I reached out to writer's groups, neighbors, and social media not knowing what would happen. The submissions came from people living all over the world. They spoke in their own voices with fiction and non-fiction contributions. The only rules were to compose a story of less than 750 words for people suffering from dementia, memory impairment, and those who had compromised attention spans. Too many words can be confusing for these people, while simple words and ideas can be comforting and spark reminiscent conversation. We hope that you will enjoy reading this and sharing it with your loved ones. Printed in large print for easy reading.