Chapter Eighteen #3
“First, they create a search committee of a few hundred scouts who look for a new hive. Once they’ve found one, they return to the swarm and share the information,” Daniel said as she drove toward the gate.
“Oh, this is the dancing bit, right?”
“Yep,” Jamie chimed in. “They waggle and dance to tell where the new place is and how good it is. So other scouts see the dance and go check it out, then come back and they either dance for that place or another one they like.”
“Good grief,” Mel exclaimed. “All of this is going on while they’re hanging on to that tree limb?” She turned out onto the road and headed for the old home place.
“Uh-huh,” Jamie said.
“Eventually, the number of scout bees dancing for a particular site reaches a quorum,” Daniel said.
“How do they reach a quorum? Do they raise their antennae to vote?”
Jamie laughed at that.
“No,” Daniel said with exaggerated patience. “They do a running head count of scouts showing up at the winning hive. They know when they have the numbers and head for the swarm to guide them to the new hive.”
Mel shook her head. “Unbelievable. Sounds like they have a more civilized society than we do. No campaigning, no ad buys. Pure consensus building.”
“Absolutely,” said Daniel.
“Here I thought it was a monarchy and the queen decided everything,” Mel said.
“She’s more of a servant than a ruler,” Daniel explained. “It’s just one role among many in the collective. She happens to have the one role that is limited to only one bee per hive.”
“So simple and so complex at the same time.”
“Yeah, they’re something,” Jamie agreed.
There was a fence and a gate to the old home place, but the gate was open, and Mel drove straight through.
Jamie looked at the gate. “Eddie’s been leaving it open for the workmen. They must’ve forgot to close it.”
“We can lock up when we leave,” Daniel said.
The view that spread out in front of Mel as she crested the hill took her breath away.
A lovely two-story Victorian farmhouse sat on a sloping hill on the far side of the valley that Daniel had called a hollow.
The house was freshly painted in colors that seemed to glow in the setting.
It had soft gray walls and creamy ivory trim with a dark forest-green door and touches of forest green around the windows and in the gingerbread trim on the gables.
The sweep of garden that spread from the house through the hollow was full of color, with ivory-colored picket fences, gates and trellises as well as small blooming trees and mounds of flowers.
A gazebo was being built at the far end, with a brick walkway that meandered up the side of the hollow to a little wooden bridge on the other side of the house.
Mel craned her neck to look at the gardens around them. “I had a completely different image in my head when you said ‘old home place.’ This is stunning.” This place spoke of home and family and an ageless love of nature.
“They been working real hard on it, inside and out,” Jamie said. “Moved a bunch of saplings this week from up in the woods.”
Daniel seemed to be admiring it as well. “The last time I was here, it was pitch-black. I haven’t seen it in daylight in a while.” He looked around. “Grace said she was renovating the property, but it’s a pretty amazing transformation compared to the dust bowl the Taggarts left behind.”
Mel parked in the circular area laid out in front of the house. She pulled her camera out of her backpack. “I can’t believe this was ever a dust bowl.”
Jamie and Pooka tumbled out and charged up the slope to the right of the house. “Come on! We’ll miss ’em!” Jamie yelled.
Mel laughed and followed Daniel up the slope. She took some pictures of the landscaping around the house. “It needs some hanging baskets and a couple of white rockers and a porch swing. Definitely a porch swing.”
Daniel nodded. “Gotta have that porch swing.”
To get to the new apiary, they had to cross the bridge, which Mel noticed was built to handle large equipment.
Beyond the creek, in a clearing on a gradually sloping hill, sat rows of brand-new hives in the shade of the surrounding hardwood forest. Only a few of the hives were occupied, and Jamie stood in the midst of them.
“Our Lily is definitely a girl baby.” She repeated the message to one after another of the hives.
Mel looked at Daniel. “What’s that about? I thought talking to the bees was just an expression.”
“No, a tradition. A long one from Europe. The bees have to be informed of all important happenings in the lives of their family. Normally, they only needed to be told about a death in the family, but Jamie has extended it to include happy occasions as well,” Daniel said with an overly solemn expression.
“I see,” Mel said, trying not to smile.
Daniel called out to Jamie. “So, which hive?”
Jamie skipped up the row of hives and pointed, then leaned down to inspect it.
“That’s weird. There’s… There’ve been scouts around this one ever since they swarmed, but there ain’t none… aren’t none… Oh, heck. There aren’t any now,” Jamie said with difficulty, hands on her hips.
“Mmmm.” Daniel examined the hive. “Where’s the other one?”
“A ways up there.” Jamie pointed and led them across the bridge and around the rear of the house, which had a beautiful bay window and what appeared to be a screened-in porch.
“Oh, I am in love,” Mel said. She aimed her camera at the shaded stream and the bridge and the brand new porch. “It needs a hot tub, though. And wind chimes.”
But there was already music here, beneath her feet and in the air, thrumming inside her head. The mountain made its own music.
Pooka dashed ahead up the slope, checking for dangers, Mel assumed.
They were still in a cleared area, but the clearing curved to the right as they went farther up and the trees closed in on the ridges above them.
She looked to see if she could still spot the house, but there was only a glimpse of gray and white behind the trees.
“Here it is.” Jamie pointed up into a tree at the edge of the clearing. A ladder lay below it. Jamie had no doubt been using it to check on the hive, which was about ten feet off the ground, strapped into the fork between two main branches.
Daniel picked up the ladder and propped it against the tree. “You haven’t been doing this by yourself, have you? I don’t want you dangling off ladders up in the woods alone.”
“Yessir,” Jamie said, scampering up the ladder and peering at the hive. “Well, I’ll be.”
“No scouts?”
Jamie looked down. “Nary a one.”
“Then I suspect they’re both on their way,” Daniel said, smiling up at her. “I’ll bet one swarm comes to this one and the other heads for the apiary.”
“Really? Great! We can watch this one and get to see ’em move in!” Jamie said as she clambered down. She was so excited that she lost her footing on the last rung.
She grabbed for Daniel and snagged him around the neck.
Jamie watched anxiously as Pooka bayed wildly and barreled toward the stranger coming up the hill toward them.
Not now!
Pooka started barking wildly at the man.
Jamie started to yell at the dog not to bark. It was probably just one of the workers checking on something up here. It was weird because Pooka was used to all kinds of new people.
Then she saw the gun. The man had pulled a gun out of his coat, and he raised it at Pooka.
The man and his gun winked out.
Daniel found himself on the ground, looking at the sky and Mel’s anxious face. Jamie was scrambling to her feet, dusting herself off.
“I’m sorry, Dr. Daniel,” Jamie began.
But Daniel rose to his knees and reached for her hand.
“Don’t let go until I do,” he said.
Show me again.
Pooka started barking wildly at the stranger coming up the hill toward them.
Jamie started to yell at the dog not to bark. It was probably just one of the workers checking on something up here. It was weird because Pooka was used to all kinds of new people.
Then she saw the gun. The man had pulled a gun out of his coat, and he raised it at Pooka.
Jamie threw herself in front of the dog. “No! He don’t bite. Pooka!”
“No, Jamie! Get down!” Dr. Daniel yelled.
“Jamie!” Mel crashed into her as she heard a loud pop, and Jamie was on her face with a mouthful of grass.
“Stay down!” Dr. Daniel yelled. There was another pop, then the sound of fighting, someone yelling in some other language, and Pooka barking. Then there was nothing but Pooka alternately barking and whining.
Jamie felt something warm and wet on her. She struggled and pushed and pulled her way out from under Mel’s heavy weight. She twisted around to sit in the grass and pushed her hair out of her eyes. Mel lay there, crumpled over her feet.
“Mel?” Dr. Daniel yelled. Jamie saw Dr. Daniel try to walk toward her, Pooka whining beside him. He stumbled, and she saw a dark stain on his leg. The man had shot him. She could see the man on the ground behind him. He wasn’t moving.
She tried to keep from shaking and crying. “Miss Mel?”
Mel’s eyes were open, staring up at the sky. But they didn’t blink.
I can change this. I will change this.
Jamie stepped away, not wanting to see Mel’s eyes anymore. She didn’t want to see any of it anymore.
I don’t want to either, but I will change it.
Jamie shut her eyes, shaking and shivering.
I will.
Daniel opened his eyes. Mel was on her knees beside him, holding on to Jamie, keeping her calm.
Mel looked around anxiously. “What did you see?”
“Jamie, grab Pooka and don’t let him run off, no matter what happens,” Daniel said. “Understand?”
Jamie eyes grew wide as she nodded and motioned Pooka close. “Sit, Pooka.” The dog sat obediently.
He fumbled for his phone and hit a speed-dial number as he got to his feet.
“Both of you stay right here until I see what’s going on. Pooka, stay!”
Mel went to Jamie and held her hand as Daniel headed down the slope toward the house.