Just a normal day, by Tess Wenderski

Me:
Under the willow tree, hidden away, I sit and think. My thoughts explore every nook and branch of the tree, and I imagine grand escapades surrounding this place. Valiant knights take drastic measures, as fair ladies take part in the battles. Beneath my folded legs, the rocks are cold and hard, and small insects clamber about as though they are mountain climbers. Birds land and quickly depart from the branches, busy building and constructing their nests. Caught up in my own mind, I miss the warning signs, and the buzzing of the hornets is upon me before I even realize it. Unprotected by the slim branches and the narrow leaves, I am attacked by the yellow and black soldiers before my story ends. My mother yells my name, telling me to get inside. I look and see her standing just outside my pretend kingdom with my brother. Standing and running, we all dash inside, fleeing the attackers

Other Child, My Brother:

I look out from among the branches, trying to find the hornets’ nest I stumbled upon yesterday. My sister is playing her silly make-believe game and Mom is gardening by the house. I know it’s around here, facing the street. I nearly pass underneath it when the buzzing alerts me to its presence. Mischievously, I wonder what would happen if I threw a rock at it. My first attempt strikes the tree trunk and I flinch in fearful anticipation. My next throw is braver; after all, they didn’t attack the first time. This rock hits my target, but it only clips the side. Several more hornets buzz out. Before I can lose my arrogant confidence, I throw one more rock and hit the hive dead center. It collapses and all the inhabitants flee their former home. They strike against me and I run from the onslaught. I pass my sister running towards my mom, screaming for help the entire time. Mom stands up and hollers to my sister and me to get inside. She waits for my sister to catch up and we escape the approaching attackers.

Mom:

Some quiet gardening, that’s all I wanted. I wanted half an hour to be able to relax and just let my green thumb do all the work. My two oldest children are off playing and running around like all children do during in the summer, and my youngest is inside taking a nap. The baby monitor is on the grass next to my feet in case he wakes up. The garden is freshly free of weeds, and I’m just beginning to gather up my tools when my son comes sprinting from behind the large willow tree. He is clearly distressed and yelling for help. Behind him, a dark cloud of hornets swarm. My daughter is still under the tree still, oblivious to the danger. I scream her name, trying to get her attention before the hornets attack her. My daughter sees the hornets and scrambles to run for the house. I wait until my daughter is in front of me before following her into the safety of the house.