Stowaways on the Ark

An old woodworm speaks from his mountain home, starting the legend of his ancestors and their voyage aboard Noah's ark. He recounts the journey of the family and the salvation the ark represents. The tale frames the voyage as a divine mission guided by God.

Willi and his wife Alice live inside a hole in a trunk as the ark is being built. They witness the carpenter shaping the timber and the trunks being cut to fit the ship. Inside their wooden world, they sense the changes around them as the ark takes form.

God confirms Noah's mission to save a pair from each animal species. He celebrates in a curious way by tossing a bottle onto the ark, which bounces without breaking. The cork's termites begin to disperse, hinting at troubles to come.

God commands crows to inform the ecosystem about the ark and the coming voyage. Noah and his family begin guiding the creatures aboard as the journey prepares to begin.

A female dragon tries to board with her egg, but the egg slips and breaks. Without a partner to join her, she is not allowed to enter the ship. This moment highlights the ark's pairing rule and the challenges of inclusion.

God sends rain and the flood begins to rise. The ark slowly sets sail, becoming a sanctuary for all aboard. Outside, the world is transformed as waters engulf the land.

Willi discovers dark tunnels during the voyage and fears what lies inside the wood. He warns his family, creating tension among the inhabitants of the ark. Meanwhile, Willi and Alice continue to produce many woodworm offspring, swelling their growing colony.

On the upper deck, a bear tries to energize the ship with music, while on the lower deck another bear urges singing. The two groups blame each other for the food shortages and the lack of harmony. The rift tests the fragile balance among the ark's inhabitants.

Willi tells his children that the family must search the tunnels for danger or answers. The young woodworms begin drilling, alerting other animals with the noise. The ongoing fear and blame among the decks grows as the voyage continues.

Termites capture Alice, trapping her near the tunnels. A woodworm recalls that ants can release an odor to distract termites, giving a chance to rescue. Willi and two of his sons drill from the ants' location toward the tunnel to free her.

The ark's floors crumble and the ship begins to flood in places. The bears discover honey and use it to plug the holes, buying time for the crew to stabilize the situation. This act helps to ease tensions and foster a fragile alliance between the decks.

A tumulus of termites near the bow breaks apart, further compromising the deck. The ark ends up floating in the sea as the threat of flooding persists. A walrus in the water directs whales to drag the ark toward land.

The ark makes landfall and the water level recedes enough for the animals to debark. The woodworm couple, long separated by the voyage, reunite. The ship-like home completes its transition to a new era for its tiny inhabitants.

After all creatures have left, the woodworms stay inside the ark, making it their home for generations. Over time the ark shrinks to the smallest remaining traces, and the old woodworm continues to live among them. People search for the ark's remains but, as time passes, less of the ark remains to be found.