Cyndi Lee and the Bees By David Madama

Little Cyndi Leola sat staring on a stump that once was a beautiful arching sycamore tree. The bees made it their home now. No more leaves, they were all gone but the humming bees made up for it with their beautiful summer song.

"Why, y'all sound just like li'l ol' teeny violins or somethin' the way you all vibrate in unison" she said earnestly to one flying jealously close to her all-day-sucker.

"I know mama gonna be real mad if she finds out I been playing with you bees agin. But I ain't gonna git stinged and I just know, and sooner or later, you all gonna invite me in your hive for honey. I just know it."

She wiped her hands on her Sunday dress as she stood and took another lick of her big spiral lollipop.

"Well, I guess I bitter be goin' home now. Mama gonna be wondering If I was fixin' to show up fer church or not. She don't like it much when I'm late." She suddenly had a splendid Idea. She scrunched her face and scratched her head and said out loud, "Hey. I just got a wonderful Idea. Why don't you bees come to church with me? I can use my lolly to bring you in. I'll keep you all in my little handbag. You'll just love the preacher. He probably the smartest man on the whole planet, maybe even the whole universe, next to Jesus, of course, but everybody knows that. That goes without saying, I mean, every one knows that Jesus is the smartest man in the universe. I don't think Jesus would mind if I brought you all to church either. Why he might even advocate it, seeing he told us to preach the Word to every living creature. Why, I think this is a might fine idea. Might even bee the finest Idea I ever had. Maybe even the finest idea any one has ever had in the history of the world!"

So she laid her lollipop in her handbag and waited until there was a good several many bees in there enjoying the testament of her luscious all day sucker. A couple green-headed flies and a red ant made it in as well but that was fine with little Cyndi Leola Baker, seeing they most likely needed to hear the Word of God as well.

When church time came she made sure she was the first one in the door and even pleaded with her family to sit way up front for a change.

"Now why you wanna sit way up front girl? You know we always sit in this here pew and have been for twenty years. The Bakers have always sat in this here pew."

Her little brother who was really nothing more than a big know it all, according to Cyndi, chimed in.

"I think Sis just want'sa cause a stir. I think she got something up her sleeve." He looked at Cyndi with a sincere yet sly smile and asked, "You got something up yer sleeve, Sis?"

Cyndi Leola got kinda mad at him and almost pushed her hand against his forehead and told him to shut up. But then she remembered she was doing the work of the Lord and decided to take a much more congenial approach.

"I'll tell you what Bubber. You just be real patient and maybe I'll let you have the rest of my all day sucker after the service, but you gots to be real quiet and trust me."

Now there is no eight year old boy alive that could resist the temptation of getting hold of a real old fashioned all day sucker, so he promised he would keep his mouth shut if she would truly let him have her sucker.

Cyndi promised.

The preacher preached about the blood. He told everyone that it was the only way to be redeemed. And something about atonement that little Cyndi Leola couldn't quite understand.

"Jusserfication? 'Demption? 'Tonement? Sankerfication?" she thought to herself. "These are all very big words for a little girl like me to understand. But one thing I do know my little creatures" she said into her handbag, "Even if we don't understand it, it don't mean the word of God is going out avoid...what ever that means."

"You hush girl," said her Mama. "The preachers a preachin!"

"Yes Mama."

But little Cyndi couldn't wait till after the service when she could show everyone how many visitors she had brought to church that day.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity the preacher told everyone they were free to go on and that was when little Cyndi raised her hand.

"What is it little girl?" asked the preacher.

"Well I just wanted to show everybody here how many visitors I had brung to church today"

It most likely shouldn't need to be explained how confused everyone was when she said this, there was a hush over the church and the preacher finally asked very kindly,

"Visitors? But miss Cyndi Lee. I don't see any visitors."

Her brother Bubber rolled his eyes and said, "The poor girl done lost her mind"

"Hush Bubber" said Cyndi and elbowed him in the side.

"Well" said Cyndi, "I would like to show you all, if you don't mind, my little friends who I brung to church because the bible does say that we must preach the word to every living creature, doesn't it Pastor?"

"Why, yes it does sweety. It certainly does. But we can't see any visitors. I would like for you to show us these visitors so that we can welcome them to the house of the Lord."

"Very well" said Cyndi and when she opened her purse out flew the horde of bees just a buzzin' and cussin' as much as any animal could cuss, because they were not very pleased about being shut up in a little purse for two whole hours, not to mention they were under the subjection of what they considered to be some rather tedious preaching. Honestly, they had nothing against Little Cyndi Leola, but to put it about as gently and kindly as I could, the preacher and his wife weren't able to sit down for a week from all the stinging that took place in that very part. I guess the bees figured that's where the talking came from.