Short Story

Bug Off!

Nancy's Notes 🖊️🎶

Written for John Holton’s Writer’s Workshop
for the week of February 13-20 in response
to his prompt: Tell us about an encounter
with a bee or wasp (or hornet). Here’s my story.

Adobe Stock

One summer while vacationing in Montauk, NY, I had an unwelcome incident with a yellow jacket.

I rarely wore shoes the whole time we were staying at the beach house so I didn’t think twice about walking barefoot across the back lawn on my way to the pool. Suddenly I felt a sharp sting under my foot, followed immediately by a burning sensation.  When I jumped back, a yellow jacket took off from under my foot. I hobbled inside, grateful the little bugger didn’t hang around to sting me again.

I checked the bottom of my foot; there was a raised red circle in the arch area, about an inch in diameter, which was numb and hard to the touch. It was quite uncomfortable to walk and my foot stayed that way for about two weeks before returning to normal.

But I wasn’t done with the yellow jackets just yet.

One evening I stepped outside to light the barbeque for dinner. As I got closer to the grill, I noticed a yellow jacket hanging around. I kept watching as it disappeared into the grill and didn’t come out. I decided to investigate and carefully raised the grill’s lid. Sure enough, there was a small hive inside the barbeque …. an unpleasant find, to say the least. Well, I wasn’t going to get stung again and I thought “turnabout is fair play”.

Now, I’m not one to willfully harm another creature …. unless it’s a yellow jacket. I slowly turned on the gas to the barbeque, clicked the start button and carefully closed the lid.

I felt a little bad about getting rid of the yellow jackets so ruthlessly but it was the best way to deal with the problem, especially with my young sons always outside and in danger of being stung. Those buggers weren’t going to sting me or anyone else ever again!

NAR©2025

This is “Once Bitten Twice Shy” by Great White

This Week’s Writer’s Workshop Prompts – February 13, 2025

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for Nancy ~ The Writer Formerly Known As The Sicilian Storyteller, Nancy ~ The Sicilian Storyteller, Nancy (The Sicilian Storyteller), The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, and The Rhythm Section, and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.

41 thoughts on “Bug Off!”

  8. Yellow Jackets are Gods favorite demon insect. Over the years, I’ve had numerous run-ins with the little bastards. Stuck my hand in my mailbox, Bam, five of them got me. Didn’t see the nest in my tool shed, Boom, another surprise attack. Like you, I stepped on one in the grass, Yikes! One got me and then called for reinforcements. Down here in Texas, we have numerous demon wasp, even ones that live underground. I think you did us humans justice by BBqing their butts. PS..I’ve also killed them with my Daisy BB gun.

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