Fatigue: A Story of Susie Bee (Part IV)

Luckily for Susie, honeybees have sturdy, waxy exoskeletons. The golf ball simply went “ping” against Susie’s forehead and bounced harmlessly away, rolling up to an unlucky ant hole. The ants spilled out of the hill, all chattering in a concerned rumble. They lined up and spelled out phrases like “Go away!” and “Scoot!” with organized fervor. Susie rubbed her forehead, feeling a slight pain but nothing serious. She rolled the white ball away from the ant village and continued home. Hopefully the golfer would find the ball later.

Susie continued her amble home, passing a Pollen Run (similar to the human Color Run), and became coated with a thin layer of yellow dust. After awhile, Susie flew up to her honeycomb window, buzzed in and collapsed next to her sleeping aphid.

“Oh, woe is me. I must have a disease unbeknownst to all bees,” Susie moaned, draping an antennae dramatically across her forehead. She sponged herself down with a clover and some dew. “To bee or not to bee, that is the question…”

Susie quickly dozed off, wrapped in her leaf quilt with a wet cotton ball keeping her forehead cool. Her aphid snored in metronome below her, nestled on his sweet grass pillow.

“Suzanne Bee,” a voice in Susie’s dream spoke. “Just let it bee…”

“I can’t,” Susie moaned. “I’m so tired but there’s work to be done. I’ve lost my buzz. I’m trying hard…”

Susie was running back and forth, piling up jars of honey on shelves. But the jars kept disappearing, no matter how fast Susie restocked.

“Come on…!” she moaned. “I need to hurry or we won’t reach quota!”

“Suzanne…wake up!” the voice demanded.

Susie sat upright in bed, startled. She was in the middle of a meadow, still in her bed, wrapped in the same leaf quilt. Her pet aphid snored below her, perfectly undisturbed.

A very elderly bee approached Susie’s bed. She peered at Susie closely and drummed her fingers against the bed’s railing. It was Queen Victoria Bee, dressed in a thin rose petal dress.

“Come with me, child,” the Queen buzzed softly. “The aphid, too. You have a lesson to learn and I will teach it to you.”

—

Buzz, buzz. Stay tuned, busy bees!

Part I here.

Part II here.

Part III here.