Chapter 12
XII
The Bees
Mamma has left the garden to go back to the village.
Some of us follow her because we must all work together to protect Mamma.
They send back a message that Mamma is sad, and they’re doing their dances for her to cheer her up, but she isn’t cheering up.
At least the cat is there. He too is trying to cheer her by giving her our fermented stomach juice to drink.
He’s alright. For a cat.
Most of us have stayed behind, in our precious garden, finishing the work we didn’t get done because we had visitors, fussing over the flowers those visitors trampled or picked, and patrolling the ramparts of the garden wall, for we sense it again. The enemy is outside, waiting, watching.
The Dark Presence.
This isn’t an enemy like Over the Fence Gerbera Daddy, who we could eliminate with our stingers if he became a real problem. Over the Fence Gerbera Daddy is loud and annoying, and sometimes he uses a spray on his Gerberas that tastes yucky, but he’s no danger to Mamma.
But the Dark Presence is bad bad bad.
We’ve felt it before. It followed Mean Warrick home, lurking around the garden gate like a bad, bad lurker.
We thought it would go away when Mean Warrick went away.
But it’s here again. We sense it sending dark tendrils over our ramparts, stretching shadows over the flower beds, grasping and snapping for what’s ours.
Don’t worry, Mamma, we sing as we beat our wings and weave our magic through the air, as we strengthen the ramparts that keep the Dark Presence away. We will protect you. We won’t let the Dark Presence hurt you.