The Bee-eater By E.N. Loizis

Maya’s eyes glisten in the fading sunlight, her cheeks flushed from running around the playground in the heat.

“Can you keep a secret?” she asks.

I say, “Sure,” and so she moves in closer, whispers in my ear.

“I can read people’s minds.”

I look at her wide-eyed, and she nods earnestly.

“It’s true.” She smiles proudly, her hair in braids brushing the waistline of her dress. I’ve never seen hair so long.

“What am I thinking right now?” I ask.

She examines my face, a stern expression of contemplation on hers. She puts her hands on my temples and closes her eyes.

“You’re thinking it’s awful hot and you want an ice-cream.”

“Wow! You really can read minds.”

She opens her eyes and smiles again, a smile that lights up her entire face.

“Can I tell you a secret?” I say after taking a quick look around to see if there’s anyone nearby. The playground is empty apart from an old lady walking her dog in the distance. Maya sits down next to me on the bench, so I lean in and tell her that I ate a bee.

She gasps, covering her mouth with one hand.

“Cross my heart and hope to die. I was minding my own business when this little bee flew right into my mouth and pfft next thing I know it was gone.”

“No!”

“Yes! Ever since, there’s been a buzzing in my belly. It bounces around in there trying to find a way out, but it can’t.”

“I bet she feels scared and lonely.”

“Well, it did fly into my mouth.”

“I guess so. But she didn’t know what she was doing.”

Maya looks sad thinking about the bee, so I ask her, “What about that ice-cream?”

“I’m not supposed to eat sweets before dinner.”

“What’s one more secret to keep?” I ask her, and a mischievous grin appears on her face.

“Okay,” she says, and so I offer her my hand. The sun has disappeared, and we walk side-by-side hand-in-hand as darkness envelops us.

The ice-cream truck is parked right around the corner. I can feel the buzzing in my belly grow stronger as I lead her inside and close the door.

© 2015 E.N. Loizis

E.N. Loizis is a 32-year-old Greek writer who lives in Germany. She writes flash fiction, short stories, and poems while trying to conquer the ultimate beast: her first novel. She blogs at http://enloizis.wordpress.com

 

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