STORY STAR
Congratulations !
You have been awarded points.
Thank you for !
- Story Listed as: Fiction For Adults
- Theme: Fairy Tales & Fantasy
- Subject: Nature & Wildlife
- Published: 04/13/2019
Bee Careful.
Born 1951, M, from Wilmington NC, United States.jpeg)
“Darn it. The sun is shining.”
Mary took a quick look at the Surface View- and the weather chart that displayed along side. She shook her head.
“Yes, Honey. Looks like we won’t get any Topside time for the next four days.”
“Damn Bees. Damn them all.”
Mary nodded. Like her husband, she remembered when Humans all lived Topside. Before the Buzz Wars. It was a close thing. First we almost wiped the Bees out, then…they almost wiped us out. Now, well, we live in the Tunnels. (They aren’t really Tunnels but huge Warrens of surviving Humans- with tunnels to Topside.)
“At least Sally and little Mikey will have a nice few days.”
Mark turned back from the Surface View. A strange thought-full look on his face.
“Yeah. They will be excited to go Topside. I wonder why the Bees tolerate children but not us.“
It was meant to be rhetorical, but Mary had some thoughts on the subject.
“You know Honey, I wonder if the Bees aren’t trying to teach the children to get along with them. After all, it was us older folks who tried to wipe the Bees out. Maybe they are trying to set up some kind of peaceful relations or something.”
Mark stared open mouthed for a minute. He knew Mary was smart, way smarter than him, and Mark was no slouch of an Engineer. He invented Curite - that made all of the tunnel walls, warren rooms, and public meeting parks. (Miniature models of Topside that usually had enough room for a large pond, small lake, a few trees and grass. No flowers though. You need Bees for those.)
He ran over and gave Mary a giant hug. She was bewildered by his reaction - but snuggled up into his lanky form and just enjoyed being loved. He kept kissing her head over and over. It made her giggle. Just like when they first met in the Rain topside. For a moment, she let herself go back to that glorious day.
*****
Mary was all of twenty years old. Like most humans over the age of ten, she had not been Topside in Sunlight in years. The Bees let Babies, infants, toddlers, small children, and kids up to about age ten- wander around Topside in sunlight. Anyone older was chased back into the Tunnels by Warrior Bees. If you tried to hold your ground in the Sunlight, well, they swarmed. The angry buzz of hundreds of Bees that were as big as Robin’s or Sparrows - was usually enough to drive even the most stubborn of Humans back into the Tunnels.
Once in a while, some stupid determined Human would try and resist being herded back into the tunnels, taking swings, or whacks at the Bees with their arms and hands. That is when the Bees would make that Scary Wall of Bees, and just one Bee would separate from the Swarm, slip inside your defenses, sting you just below your eye. A minute later and…well, you were crawling and screaming back towards the tunnel. Your face a distorted caricature of a human cheek. You would lose the vision in that eye for a few weeks. The pain would last for five or six days. When you recovered, you had a huge blue dot that never went away. Even on Rainy Days, Special waterproof Bees would follow Blue Dot Humans- to make sure they behaved. And they did.
All that came back to Mary in a flash. Just to refresh her memory of why her, and hundreds of other young men and women were crowded in the Tunnel to Topside. The Bees never flew in the Rain. They were way too big for that. So when it rained, everyone, including children, could frolic without fear. If the rain stopped completely, a few of the Giant Bees would appear- not too many, just a few. The would fly circles around the Humans, making the circles smaller and smaller, until all the Humans were crowded back into the tunnels.
Rainy Days became special days. This rainy day would be the most important day in Mary’s young life. Because she almost drowned- and if it wasn’t for the long lanky arms of Mark- she would have. Sometimes she wondered if she would have loved Mark as much as she did if he hadn’t saved her that day. It made her smile. Of course she would have. He was Mark.
After he pulled her out of the torrent- he stripped her naked and covered her with the self heating waterproof blanket that was a mandatory part of the small survival pack everyone had to carry Topside. All the Topside Clothes were water repellent, but hypothermia didn’t care about clothes. If you got soaked (like Mary did), it was one of these blankets, or death.
When Marry finally got warm- she realized that Mark had built a lean to, to keep her out of the rain. She squirmed under the blanket - and asked Mark if he had a spare set of Waters (what they called Topside Waterproof clothes) in his pack. Mark smiled at her.
“Of course. They will be a bit big on you though.“
A bit turned out to be quite a bit. Leaving both of them laughing so hard that neither could take a deep breath as she imitated some kind of gummy doll robot with the extra two feet of pant leg, and foot and a half of arm sleeve. The fact that the jacket came down to her knees- set them howling.
The Rain was supposed to last over night- nobody went back in the Tunnels until they had to. Mark tied off the sleeves, and the pant legs with some twine - so Mary could walk with him. She had to stay with him, because she had lost her pack. Which meant if she got caught too far from the Tunnels when Sunshine came- well, without the Emergency pattern in her pack, the Bees would kill her. They only stung once when you were stubborn, but if you were far from a Tunnel, they all stung. No one survives multiple stings. No one.
Mark made part of the time pass by telling her just how the remarkable emergency pattern worked. It was made of colors - many colors- like bright flowers. And each part of the pattern reacted with human sweat to release chemicals that told a story to the Bees. Usually one of the Big Warrior Bees would zoom in close, sometimes even touching the pattern with one of their legs. Soon, two other Bees would join them.
One would be what Humans called a “Scout” - much smaller than a Warrior Bee, but by checking your pattern, it seemed to know exactly what Tunnel you belonged to, and where the entrance was. It would fly in front of you at a slow walk about six feet in the air - so you could see it clearly. All you had to do was follow it.
The third Bee was even Bigger than the Warrior Bee. Humans called them “Mother Bees”. As big as they were, they were never threatening. Sometimes they would even sit on your shoulder, and go along for the ride. No one knows their purpose, unless it is to keep the Warrior Bee from stinging, or the Scout Bee on track. Mother Bees seemed friendly. Maybe they were.
Because Mary had lost her Pattern- she had to stay with Mark in case the Sunshine started before they could get back. If she stayed close enough to Mark, maybe the Bees would understand they only had the one Pattern. But that came later.
*****
The Rains lasted for four days. Four wonderful wet soggy days. Mud caked every part of their bodies. Before they would lay down for the night, they would strip near a pool of water, rinse themselves completely- snuggle up in Mark’s survival blanket- until they were warm. Nature, love, and skin to skin contact, combined to take both their virginities that first night. And every night afterwords.
When the Rain stopped they were lost. When Mary had been torn from the bank by that torrent of water- it must have pulled her so far down the River that she didn’t know where she was. Mark had just run along the bank yelling at her to keep her feet pointed downstream, and her head above water. Which she did. finally she got to a turn in the river where Mark could lurch her out of the water with a superhuman effort by one of his long lanky arms. The other arm holding to a tree branch like an Iron wire. That was four days ago.
Now they had no idea where they were. They had been so involved in each other, they just frisked away the days (and much more frisky play at night) - but the sun was coming out. Things got serious.
Mark put the pattern on Mary. (She already loved him for many reasons, but knowing that he would rather be stung to death by the Bees, than have her hurt- well, how much more can you love someone who is willing to die for you?) She tried to resist, to make him wear it. He wouldn’t have any of it.
“Look Mary, I love you. If they only let the person wearing the pattern go back, you will be safe. If they figure out we are together, maybe they will lead both of us back to the Tunnels. If not (he shrugged)…well, what a great four days I had.”
Mary cried, clinging to him after he put the pattern on her back. That is how the Bees found them, locked in an embrace and sweating fear and loss. The Search Bee flew off and came back with a Warrior Bee. The two Bees circled for a second or two. The Warrior Bee landing on Mary's back - smelling the chemical message I suppose. Then it flew over to gently land on Mark’s back. It seemed confused that there was no pattern there.
Mark and Mary held their breath until the Warrior Bee circled so close that they got the message. Stay put. Then the two Bees faced each other for a minute or so, and off went the Searcher Bee. Minutes dragged by. Mark clinging to Mary, Mary clinging right back. When they heard the Buzz, their hearts shrank. More than one Bee was coming back. Mark was ready to fling Mary away and start running, in case it was a drove of Warrior Bees. He knew they would follow him and leave Mary alone. What he didn’t know is Mary would have never let go of him. They would die together, or live together. She had made up her mind about that the first night in the blanket.
When they saw the Bees, they lost all thought. They just stared in awe. A Bee the size of a big chicken, or small turkey, was surrounded by dozens of Warrior Bees, a covey of Mother Bees, and more than half a dozen Searcher Bees. The Mother Bees made an Honor Guard around the giant beautiful Bee. Believe me when I say she was Beautiful…a Peacock in perfect health couldn’t have looked more stunning.
That giant Bee landed on Mary’s back. Read the pattern. Then it walked down her arm, crossing over to Mark on the bridge made by their joined hands. It walked right up Marks long arm, and then licked (there is no other word that fits) Marks sweat off of his neck. It seemed to change its buzz.
All the Bees buzzed back. Then a Mother Bee sat on Mark’s Shoulder, another Mother Bee sat on Mary’s shoulder. Two of the Searcher bees flew up front- for Mark and Mary to Follow. A squadron of Warrior Bees surrounded them on every flank. After about an hour of walking in the Sunshine - still holding hands- Mark whispered to Mary:
“You know Honey, I think that big Bee told them we were in love.”
Mary giggled. Partially in relief that they were being allowed to go home. Partially because of Mark’s romantic interpretation of their escort. She let the smile loose in her words:
“You really think so Mark?”
“Yes. I don’t think all these warrior bees are here to hurt us…I think they are hear to protect us. I think they want us to be a couple. That big Bee must have read someone in our sweat or something.”
Mary was about to giggle again…but then she thought about the entire encounter. They walked the rest of the way in silence. All the way to the Tunnels. They both turned to wave at the Bees and said Thank You. Funnily enough the Bees all turned back to face them, and they dipped at the same time. Mark and Mary were flabbergasted, they had never heard of a Bee encounter like theirs, nor had they ever seen Bees acknowledge a thank you.
That was a decade ago.
*****
Mark finally stopped spinning the cuddled up Mary in his arms. He was beaming.
“Get your pattern out of your emergency pack. Get mine too! We are going out with the kids.”
Mary stopped cold.
“What? What do you mean? We will get stung.”
Mary was terrified. She didn’t want Mark or her to come back in the tunnel in pain from a sting, and wear that horrible blue dot you see on some fools who challenged the Bees.
Mark brushed aside her fear with another hug.
“Mary, I think you discovered the answer. They won’t sting us. You’ll see. Just get the Patterns. I will tell Sally and Mikey, and we have to hold their hands when the Bees come. I think that big Bee will show up!
Mary couldn’t help it. Marks excitement was contagious. He sounded so sure of himself, and he would never put the kids in danger. Maybe he was right. Maybe the Bees do want to talk with us. Somebody has to be first. Why not us.
Mary was onboard now. She got the Patterns out of the packs, told Sally and Mikey not to be scared when the Bees showed up. Both kids smiled up at her. Cheeky little Mikey in his usual five year old know it all way simply said:
“I am not afraid of the Bees, they like us. I like them.”
Sally nodded agreement. Her little brother was right. Not often, but this time.
Everyone in the Tunnel backed away to let Mark and Mary go to the front holding hands with Sally and Mikey. Almost every Adult in the tunnel was there to see what happened when the Tunnel door opened. Ready to dart out and save their kids if necessary. All of them had their Patterns on…not knowing what was going to happen.
The tunnel door opened to streaming sunlight. The hum of buzzing bees, and the squeak and squeals of kids running out to play. Slowly Mark, Mary, Sally and Mikey walked out onto the grass. A thousand pairs of eyes looking worriedly out at them from behind.
First one Warrior Bee, than two, then hundreds surrounded the small family. Even if Bees spoke English the message couldn’t be more clear. Stay here. Don’t move. So they didn’t. More Bees gathered as scout Bees streaked out and back. Out from the nearby meadow streamed not hundreds of Bees, but thousands. Maybe millions. The children stopped playing to look up at the marvelous sight of so many Bees. The adults in the Tunnel closed in on each other- hugging each other so close it looked more like a hive, or colony, than a group of human beings.
Out of that cloud of Bees came that same big Beautiful Bee that Mark and Mary had met a decade earlier. She looked as beautiful and big as she did back then. She flew right to Marry- but not to the pattern on her back. No. She just flew right to Marry’s face and licked it once. Then she flew to Mark (who just like Marry, did not flinch at all) and licked his face. Then the big Bee flew down to sit on Mary and Marks linked hands. She sat without fear, as if their hands had made a throne for her to sit on.
Later Artists would show that Scene and portray it exactly as it looked. A Queen comfortably sitting with her Equals. A whole bunch of different Buzzes were exchanged, more than a dozen different big Bees came over to crawl over Mark and Marry, or sit in the hair of Sally or Mikey (which made both kids giggle with delight). Finally, a few thousand Warrior Bees swooped into the open tunnel, and herded the shy parents - some still trembling with fear- and pushed them out into the Sunshine.
What was amazing is that each parent was guided to their exact child. Mark and Marry were surrounded by an eerie respectful silence except for the Buzzing of Bees. The Big Bee flittered up from Mark and Marry’s hands. It touched the back of their patterns, then licked their faces again.
Mary spoke first.
“I think she means that Adults can come out in the Sun with the kids, if they wear their patterns.”
“I think so too.”
Mark told all the Humans to watch.
He took his pattern off, and suddenly a hundred Warriors were within striking distance. He held his hand up slowly (The big Bee merely watched) turning in a complete circle so that all the Parents could see him. Then he reached a long lanky arm down and pulled his pattern back on. The Warriors dispersed.
He did it three more times. And each time the Bees reacted the same way. Pattern on, and you were ignored. Pattern off…and you could get stung.
All the Humans slowly took their patterns off- once. The Warrior swarmed to striking distance. The Adult Humans put their patterns back on, and the Warriors dispersed. The big Bee rose up in the air, and I swear, she nodded. The first treaty between Humans and Bees had been made.
That night, when a tired, happy, throng of people headed back into the Tunnels, and swarms of Bees headed back to their Hives- a meeting was held. Mark and Mary would be the Bee Ambassadors.
It was a Bee Ginning.
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
.jpeg)
COMMENTS (3)