More Bumbling

My butterfly was back. Breathless I gazed from a hiding-place in some long grass, making sure it was the same one as before. No mistaking those bright colours though.

She was talking to her little sister, who was a ladybug. Hardly daring to breathe I snuggled deep into my tuft and held motionless, thrilled at this chance to listen in on her.

"I'm going to tease him," announced the butterfly calmly. Was she talking about me?

"It was funny when he tried to sting me before,” she went on. “And it’s not like he can even fly properly like I can,” she scoffed as an afterthought, contemptuous.

I flushed. It was more embarrassing still because she wasn't wrong.

"Hurry up, Mum's waiting," replied the little sister, spreading her wings with a busy little whirr. She lifted off, and the butterfly finished tying her six shoelaces then flew after her with no difficulty at all. I was really flustered. How did she do that? Never even mind her plans for me! Wow, this butterfly really knew how to get my stinger in a twist!

She had been talking about me, because my first stint of teasing at her hands came the very next day. I was just bumbling along when she alighted a little ahead, innocently. She walked on a bit, letting the breeze play through her broad colourful wings.

I must have been stupid, after what she'd said yesterday. Yet still I blundered at her right away. It was just too tempting.

She took flight easily and landed a little way off, daintily as could be, with little skipping steps. How silly did she think I was, I though with a flash of fury! I so wasn't falling for that one again!

But when she turned her tail-end on me started to stroll away, showing off, I couldn’t resist that kind of dare! I thundered at her without even stopping to take a breath, and of course she was long gone before I was anywhere near her.

I trailed her for the rest of that hot morning, never really managing to get anywhere, but sometimes she let me draw so close it was infuriating. The impatience really set in, which meant my stinger started to be a nuisance too. It was worse than banging against an indoor window!

I so didn’t want to end up proving my know-it-all friend right, but sure enough I eventually reached the point where my wings ached so badly I had to rest. When I crashed to a halt on the lawn at last, the butterfly began to whirl round and round me, keeping tantalizingly out of reach. Behind her she wove a trail of sweet nectar, driving my senses into fits.

I felt like the whole garden had stopped to watch! The pretty butterfly lazily circling the befuddled bumblebee. Must have been a pretty funny sight, I thought to myself in helpless fury. My temperature was fast exceeding even the hot weather. The last thing I wanted was every snail and earthworm and earwig laughing at how this flutterer was teasing me!

At length she flitted away. I couldn't move, and could only lie there hot and bothered, watching her. She wasn’t in any hurry, and she spared me no backward glance. Yet again I was left with a stupid stinger I wasn't going to be able to do a thing with, and at that thought I remembered once again my friend’s words back at the hive: “You'll end up exhausted at the foot of some flower, and you'll never get to use your sting…”