Bees on the Roof by Robbie Shell

Author:Robbie Shell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tumblehome, Inc.
Published: 2018-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

Shortly before the tour was over, Paul opened up one of the hives and pointed to a cluster of bees moving in and around the cells. “I’d like you to see a queen,” he said. “Ella, look closely. Anything?”

“There!” she said, pointing to a bee that was about half again as large as all the others. “Her royal highness, the one that makes it all happen.”

“Not quite all,” said Matt, hands on hips, stomach pulled in—his best macho-man pose. “And where will we be eating lunch?” he asked, already starting to make a sprint for the van.

“Don’t walk there!” Paul’s voice stopped Matt in his tracks. “Remember? We deliberately avoided the front of the hive when we approached that area. The bees are using that route for their foraging trips. We don’t want to block their path. Move away s-l-o-w-l-y.”

Uh-oh, thought Sam. I think it’s too late. He watched a small squadron of bees begin to buzz around Matt, who launched into panic mode, swatting the air with his arms and jumping around in small circles.

“Matt! Stand perfectly still!” Paul walked slowly over to where Matt was now shaking his head back and forth like a large dog drying itself off. “You’re just scaring the bees even more. They need to know that you’re harmless, that you’re not after their honey. You want to become a statue. Get it?”

Matt didn’t get it. “He’s going to get stung,” Sam said just seconds before Matt let out a series of short, sharp yelps and grabbed at the netting around his neck, alternately slapping it and frantically trying to wrestle it off. Paul was suddenly at his side, pulling him away from the bees’ flight path.

Sam huddled closer to Ella and Tristan. “It doesn’t take much, does it? A few swats at the bees, and they become as frantic and scared as we are.”

They waited for orders from Paul, who had pulled off Matt’s hat and netting and was gently probing the skin around his neck and chest. “Everyone back to the van. I need to check those stings right away, although I’m 99 percent sure they’ll be normal red welts that will hurt for a few hours and then fade away. That’s what typically happens.”

Ron sat next to Matt in the middle section of the van. “Take deep breaths, Matt. It’s going to be fine. We’ll do the baking soda treatment, or whatever they use for bee stings, and we’ll stop for a big lunch as soon as we get back on the highway. You’ll have a good story to tell once we get home. You’ve taken one for the team. It can be part of your report. You know: ‘How I Survived an Attack by a Horde of Angry Bees.’”

Ella reached over from the back seat to gently pat Matt’s shoulders and promise him he could sit in the front seat the whole way back. Tristan was ignoring everyone, making a point of looking out the window. It’s how he deals with someone in distress, Sam thought, remembering his visit to Tristan’s room.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.