Littlecube Short Stories: Among Giant Bees

It was midday and Phoebe wanted to visit the nearby daisy field and enjoy a picnic. Flint wondered if it was feasible to have a picnic while giant bees roamed about the area, feasting on the nectar of the flowers. The thought of having a giant bee buzzing around him while he was eating his sandwich gave him a little shiver. His heart thumped as a giant bee whizzed past him while he was walking through the daisy field, carrying two baskets containing apples and two bottles of lemonade. He had also brought a scarf to keep himself warm and protect his neck from any of those giant bees. He pulled himself together and carefully avoided getting too close to the giant bees.

Phoebe was a little surprised at the sight of the giant bees. She had thought that it would be a peaceful trip with Flint and their puppy Choco. She was carrying a basket of sandwiches she had made from the bread she baked earlier in the morning. She also brought a basket containing two bottles of water for Choco as she would be rather thirsty from all the walking. She wore a pale coloured bandana on her head and hoped that it would not attract those giant bees. She noticed that the giant bees were busily collecting the nectar and thought that they would not harm her if she did not disturb them. She tried to keep her pace with Choco as she was walking rather fast.

Choco was rather focused on getting towards the picnic site. The buzzing sound from these industrious giant bees seemed to ring aloud through her ears, even though they were not hovering next to her. While it would seem that she was oblivious to her surroundings, she was fully aware that they were in a rather unsafe area. She quickened her pace and panted repeatedly to cool her body, while enjoying the intoxicating scent of the daisy flowers all around her. As she wasn't as tall as Flint and Phoebe, the daisy flowers would sometimes obscure her vision and the numerous flower petals consistently brushed against her face.

Flint was also relieved that the presence of these giant bees did not wreak havoc on Choco's behaviour as she was not goaded by them into an intense snap. He thought that she might be a little phobic as these giant insects can be rather fearful. Fortunately, she did not seem angry at the presence of these stinging creatures. Otherwise, she might have been stung if she had attempted to chase them. He was initially worried that Choco might exhibit some aggressive behaviour towards the giant bees. If that had happened, it might also attract the attention of those nearby. The last thing he wanted would be getting swarmed by these annoying creatures.

Phoebe had thought that Flint might be overly cautious before they had set off for the picnic trip. After all, as long as they can carefully avoid getting in the way of these stinging creatures, they should be able to reach the picnic site without any hassle. As for Choco, she had been rather timid towards the giant bees that lurked around the garden of their cottage. And she had not put up with frenzied behaviour towards them either. She would also be able to identify if there was any imminent threat should these giant bees decide to attack them instead.

Flint observed that a particular giant bee stood out from the rest. It had yellow fur over the top of its black body while others had orange and brown stripes. It was humming around elegantly and was not being harassed by others. Whatever it was, he was certain that it looked different and it would be wise not to get too close to it. After having a quick glance around, he made a rough guess on how many giant honey bees were surrounding them.

How many giant honey bees were surrounding Flint, Phoebe and Choco?