Читать книгу Blackfire: The Rise of the Creeping Moors - James Daniel Eckblad - Страница 13

What shattered the silence for Alex and Jamie, startling them to alertness, was a single, incongruous sound: of someone singing! Of someone humming—in the distance, and getting louder! Alex and Jamie looked at one another and then quickly all about them, straining to hear more clearly. They heard a definite humming sound; but there seemed to be words as well—and a tune of some sort weaving its way in and out of the constant drone. A large shadow passed swiftly over the water, and the combination of sounds became loud and distinct and constant, as if whatever it was that was making the sounds was accompanying them downstream, above the river and just out of sight.

In the light breeze Alex and Jamie were stunned to hear distinctly a song wafting playfully on the wind:

“I’d rather be a bee

than a big brown bear;

I’d rather bee a bee

than a rocking chair.

I’d rather bee a bee

than a cup of tea;

I’d rather bee a bee

‘cuz a bee is me!”

I’d rather bee a bee

than a warty toad;

I’d rather bee a bee

than a gravel road.

I’d rather bee a bee

than a big oak tree;

I’d rather bee a bee

‘cuz a bee is me!”

Oh . . .

I’d rather bee a bee

than a big red ball;

I’d rather bee a bee

than a waterfall.

I’d rather bee a bee

than a . . . ”

At that moment, hovering just above their heads, Alex and Jamie, their mouths wide open, saw what appeared at first blush to be a black and yellow bumblebee, of the sort they had seen in their yards back home, except much larger! As in the size of a buffalo! The sound of its wings was almost deafening, and they would have been terrified but for the whimsy of the song.

The bee spun forward on its axis so that its head was down, and reversed its wings, causing turbulence that troubled the water and sent waves over the heads of the boys. It then yelled down to Alex and Jamie, “Hail, little beeings! Who might you bee? And what are you beeing in the river for?”

“We won’t hurt you!” Jamie shouted back, realizing instantly the absurdity of his declaration. “We jumped in the river a long ways back, and we don’t know where we are!”

“And why might you bee jumping into beeing lost?”

“Thew wuh wats chasing us!” Alex shouted, uncertain the bumblebee could understand him through the din.

“Hmmm . . . Well, . . . I’d never bee thinking I’d bee seeing someone who’d bee picking his poison!”

“What do you mean?” asked Jamie, becoming alarmed.

“I’d bee meaning that I’m not so sure you’d bee worse off with the rats—what with there beeing that rapids up ahead and a waterfall that’d bee dropping you about a thousand feet!”