Philip K. Dick 
Tony and the Beetles 

Far in the future, Earth’s empire has grown to include dozens of different civilizations, many of which have been subjugated to serve humanity’s growing need for cheap labor. In the short story "Tony and the Beetles, " a young boy hatches an unlikely friendship with some of the insect-like creatures that are treated as slaves — and sets off a firestorm of unintended consequences in the process.