Flight of the Honeybee

Silvia Gardner walked down the long tunnel holding her father’s hand. She looked nervous. It was obvious that this was her first time on an airplane. She turned around, her eyes darting left and right as she searched for her mother. For a moment she almost cried out, “Mom!” But then she saw her—just a few people behind. Silvia reached out her hand, and the passengers between them allowed her mother to pass. No mother should be separated from her child, especially one so young.

Silvia was about five years old. She was small for her age and wore a yellow shirt with black stripes and black shorts. With her long golden hair and dimples on both cheeks, she looked even more adorable than usual. Maria grabbed her daughter’s hand and smiled.

“It’s OK, my little honeybee. I’m here.”

“Would you like the window seat?” her father asked. “You can look out and see the clouds from above. Don’t you think that would be cool?”

Silvia took a moment to think. At home she loved lying on the ground and staring at the clouds. Looking down on them from above sounded magical. She pulled herself up, swinging with her feet off the ground between her parents’ arms.

“I would love that,” she said.

So, as they took their seats, Silvia sat by the window, Maria sat in the middle, and Frank sat next to the aisle.

Silvia grinned when she spotted her luggage being loaded onto the plane. It was bright pink with a large cartoon image of her on the front. Her parents had ordered custom luggage for all of them so their bags would be easy to spot at baggage claim. Of course, Silvia had no idea what baggage claim was—she was simply thrilled to have her own picture on a suitcase.

“Mommy,” Silvia asked, “how long before we get to Miami?”

A direct flight from Seattle to Miami typically took six and a half hours. But their flight had already been delayed for three hours, and they had arrived at the airport three hours ahead of time. After six hours of waiting, the thought of another six hours in the air was disheartening. Originally, they were supposed to depart at 9:30 a.m. It was now noon. Even after boarding, they had to wait another thirty minutes before takeoff.

“It’s a long flight, Honeybee,” Maria explained. “We won’t get there until seven tonight.” Then she muttered under her breath, “if everything goes right.”

Silvia sighed. She felt she had already been waiting forever. Two years earlier she had learned she had a cousin—only four months older—with the same name. Silvia Adams was her mother’s brother’s daughter. The two girls had been talking on Zoom ever since, and this trip was their chance to finally meet in person. Silvia had thought of little else for the past six months.

She clutched her stuffed rabbit, Guardian, who went everywhere with her. According to Silvia, Guardian was a superhero. He had kept her safe during all the waiting and would keep her safe for the rest of the journey. She pressed her face to the window as the ground crew finished loading the luggage. Soon the door was closed, and the plane slowly began to move. Silvia was elated.

The captain’s voice came through the speakers.

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. On behalf of Guardian Airlines—”

Silvia’s eyes widened. She turned to her mother in shock and amazement at hearing that the airline shared her rabbit’s name.

The captain continued, “—and our entire crew, I’d like to welcome you aboard flight 2301, with non-stop service to Miami, Florida. We apologize for the delay, but we’re just about ready for departure. At this time, I’d like to ask that you please fasten your seatbelts and make sure all carry-on items are securely stowed in the overhead bins”.

Maria buckled Silvia’s seatbelt before fastening her own. She always made sure her daughter was safe. This was a good thing. Silvia was too excited to sit still without in.

“Our flight time today will be about six hours and twenty minutes, and we’ll be cruising at an altitude of thirty-five thousand feet. The weather in Miami is sunny with a light breeze and a temperature of about eighty-five degrees. We’ll do our best to get you there comfortably and on time.

“Once again, thank you for choosing Guardian Airlines. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight.”

When the captain finished, a flight attendant passed by. Silvia stopped her to announce that her rabbit’s name was Guardian, just like the airline, and that he had his own ticket. She proudly pulled a hand-drawn ticket from her pocket. She did a good job. There was a lot of attention to detail. The attendant chuckled, pulled out a small wing-shaped pin, and attached it to the rabbit. Silvia’s smile grew even bigger.

After the safety demonstration, the plane gathered speed down the runway. As it lifted into the air, Silvia pressed her face to the window, squealing with delight. The cars below shrank into toys and then disappeared altogether. The city became small blocks. She could see the ocean, rivers, lakes. What thrilled her most was when everything blurred into fuzz.

“Mommy,” she said, turning away, “what’s happening?”

“Look,” Maria replied.

Silvia turned back and gasped. The plane had risen above the clouds, which looked to her like large globs of cotton. She closed her eyes and imagined walking on them.

“I think I want to eat it,” she whispered. “It’s cotton candy.”

Her imagination carried her away, and she drifted into sleep.

In her dream, a group of birds swooped in and carried her away. She rode on the back of a bright red cardinal soaring through the clouds. Then bees appeared, buzzing around her.

“Zzzz-hello, Sil-vvv-ia. Follow me-zzzzz.”

A blue jay fluttered close, admiring her golden hair. “You’re pretty”, he said, “I like your hair. Can I have some to make my nest?”

She plucked out a few strands of hair, which was as long as Rapunzel’s.

“Thank you very much.”

The birds and bees led her to a giant castle. Silvia walked across the clouds and knocked on its enormous door with her tiny fist.

A deep, thunderous voice boomed from within.

“Fe-Fo-Fi-a, that sounds like the knock of Silvia. I tell the truth, I never lied, it’ll bring me joy to let her inside.”

Guardian leapt from her bag. “I will protect you, Silvia!” he declared.

“Don’t worry,” said a goldfinch. “He’s a friendly giant.”

Boom. Boom. Boom. Each step the giant took, as he walked to open the door, shook the cloud ground. Silvia and Guardian laughed as the bouncing clouds tickled their noses.

Back in the waking world, the plane shook as well.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking,” came the announcement. “We’ve encountered a patch of rough air. This is common, nothing to be concerned about. For your safety, please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts. The seatbelt sign is on, and we ask that you remain seated until conditions improve. Thank you.”

Maria leaned over to check Silvia’s belt. The girl stirred and mumbled in her sleep, “Don’t worry, Mother. He’s a friendly giant.”

Maria smiled with relief. Even in turbulence, Silvia was undisturbed. She was unaware of anything going wrong.

Back in her dream, Silvia rode on the giant’s left shoulder while Guardian was on his right. He took them on a guided tour through the castle. Birds and bees fluttered behind them. He showed them a golden egg and the ostrich that laid it.

“That’s a big egg”, said Guardian.

“It’s chocolate”, said the giant.

He showed them a bean stalk sticking up through the clouds.

“That’s where Jack came up. He’s my friend. You’ll have to meet him on the ground.”

Beyond the castle stood a cloud factory.

“Fe-Fi-Fo-Fake,” the giant chanted. “Make whatever your heart tells you to make.”

Silvia darted inside, sculpting rabbits of cotton candy, bears of mashed potatoes, and even a little house made of clouds. Guardian tried to keep up with her, but she was too good.

The giant told Silvia that there was more to see, and a bee carried her to his favorite amusement park.

On the tallest rollercoaster, she raised her arms and screamed with joy.

“Weeeeeeeeee!”

Guardian and the cloud animals riding beside her wailed in terror.

“Auuuuuuugh!”

Silvia laughed at them. “Wimps!”

Meanwhile, in the waking world, the turbulence grew violent. The plane dropped suddenly, sending passengers screaming. The captain’s announcement was barely audible over the noise. Yet Silvia still slept, smiling.

Her dream rollercoaster ended. She stepped off easily while her friends staggered with wobbly legs, looking green. She laughed so hard in the dream that her laughter carried into the waking world.

At last, the captain regained control of the plane.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” he said, “due to unforeseen circumstances, we are required to make an emergency landing. The aircraft is fully under control, and we are prepared for a safe landing. Please give your full attention to the flight attendants as they demonstrate the procedures that we need you to follow. Seatbelts fastened, seats upright, tray tables stowed.

Your safety is our top priority. Remain calm, follow instructions, and we will be on the ground shortly.”

Maria looked out the window and saw the ground rising fast. But there was no runway, only an open field.

The plane slammed onto the earth. It shook violently as luggage fell from the bins overhead. The sound was deafening, but the captain guided the aircraft safely to a stop.

“Attention passengers, this is your captain speaking. I just wanted to let you know that we are now safe on the ground. The attendants will guide you in proper exiting. You will be delighted to know that we are less than thirty miles from Miami. There are buses that will take you the rest of the way.”

He had more to say but Frank and Maria’s attention was focused on their daughter. Silvia’s eyes fluttered open.

Maria hugged her tightly.

“We’re here already?” Silvia asked.

“Honeybee, you slept through the whole flight!”

“Really?” she giggled.

They exited the plane by sliding down the inflatable chute. Silvia squealed. “Mommy, am I still dreaming? This is fun!”

As buses waited to take the passengers the rest of the way, Silvia chattered about her dream. As she spoke, a cardinal and a blue jay fluttered down to her shoulders, while a swarm of bees circled her head. In the distance, a giant smile appeared in the clouds, although Silvia was the only one to see it.

The captain walked by and saw the wing pin on Guardian. “Hello, little girl”, he said. “I’m Captain Jack and that pin means that you are our special guest. I hope you wasn’t too scared”. She only laughed.

Maria almost told Silvia what had truly happened on the flight—but then she thought, why ruin an enjoyable journey?