Challenger: Ben
We all knew it would come up eventually. New York City’s most common pet, the inspiration for countless spontaneous tap-dances, frequent “borrowers” of my hardback copy of A Game of Thrones, and your next challenge: Cockroaches.
The Mysterious Theologian: Chase
What might one pray to God in light of this… wonderful creature? Well, we can all start by praying to God that these flies never grow to the size and strength of pteradactyls, because we’ll have to move to mars. You could also pray this way:
Decapitating God, so often I wander aimlessly and brainlessly. I feel uninspired and purposeless. God, implant your will in me and save me from my wandering. Let it grow in me and devour my own aimless will. Transform my mind and give me the mind of Christ so that I might see and follow your will for me, your humble creature.
Amen.
The Challenger: Ben
The Mysterious Theologian: Chase
The Phorid Fly. Don’t let this benign image fool you! The Phorid Fly’s most endearing characteristic is that some “species reproduce by laying eggs in the thorax of the ant. The first instar larvae migrate to the head. The larvae develop by feeding on the hemolymph, muscle tissue, and nervous tissue in the head. Eventually, the larvae completely devour the ant’s brain, causing it to do nothing but wander aimlessly for approximately two weeks. After about two to four weeks, they cause the ant’s head to fall off by releasing an enzyme that dissolves the membrane attaching the ant’s head to its body. The fly pupates in the detached head capsule, requiring a further two weeks before emerging.” –Wikipedia.