Published Piece

Wasps

It was a bright day in Late September.  The world looked like a cluster of red, yellow and orange.  Wasps were buzzing.  Erika and I were playing in the leaves when the mailman came.  He dropped the mail off and moved onto Lauren's house.

"Race you to the mailbox," I challenged Erika, getting the mail is as important as good grades to her.

I bolted down the driveway.

"Hey no fair!  You're faster than me," Erika yelled.

"To bad," I replied.

"Then I get to bring in half of the mail," Erika exclaimed.

"Fine," I said, giving in.

I opened the mail box and got the mail out.  There's so much, I thought, looking at the pile of papers.  I  gave Erika half of the mail.  Suddenly, I felt a sharp, burning pain in my arm.  It felt as if someone lit a match and pressed it against my skin.  I whacked my arm with the newspaper and started running.  What in the world happened, I thought.  That's when Erika made a stupid move.   She ran back to the mailbox to close it.  I looked back just in time to see her run screaming.  There were around 30 wasps chasing her.  Really Erika, really, was all that was going on in my mind. Erika ran inside just as the wasps stopped chasing her.  I ran in behind her.  She got 2 wasps stings.  We had to get rid of the wasps, but how!  Let’s throw a broom at it, I thought.  I took my aim and threw it.  I must’ve not been looking, because my broom landed in the bush!

"Ha, ha.  You didn't hit it," Erika laughed.

 

Like you can do any better, I thought.

"Why don't you try," I dared Erika.

"I bet I can hit it," Erika declared.

"Be my guest," I said handing her the broom as if it was poison.

Erika took the broom and took her aim.  She pulled it back and it slipped out of her hand and landed behind her.  I erupted in laughter.

"And you thought you could hit it," I laughed.

I laughed so hard, it looked like I was having a spaz attack.  After a lot of laughing, we decided to try something else.  Erika decided to run up to the mailbox and start whacking it with a broom.  That wasn't successful.  She almost got another sting.  Then I thought of the best idea.  We needed to use teamwork.  I got a can of bee repellent and sprayed it at the nest, just as Erika started whacking the mailbox with the broom.  It worked.  The hive fell to the ground.

 

"I hope there are no more wasps," said Erika, saying wasps as if it tasted bitter in her mouth.

 

After that day, I knew teamwork was crucial in bad situation.  Without teamwork nothing could ever be accomplished.  As an individual, we can't do much.  But as a group, is there anything not within reach?.