Grace Woollyhop’s Musical Mystery

Chapter Five Queenie Bumblebuzz

The three friends stared in horror at the revolting moat of slime surrounding the Honey Tree.

“How can we get across?” said Goldie. “It’s too wide to jump.”

Jess looked around desperately for something that might help, and spotted a long fallen branch. “There!” she cried. “Let’s use that as a bridge!”

Lily and Goldie took one side of the branch and Jess the other. Together they lifted it to the edge of the slime and stood it on end.

“Ready?” said Jess. “One... two... three... drop!”

They let the top of the branch fall across the slime.

Gloop!

“I’m good at balancing,” said Goldie. “I’ll go first to check the branch is strong enough. You don’t want to fall into that horrid slime again!”

She ran lightly across, then called back, “It’s perfectly steady!”

Lily went first, then Jess, and soon they were safely on a small, dry, grassy patch close to the tree trunk.

“Hello!” Goldie called up to the cottage.

The fluffiest gold-and-brown bee they’d ever seen flew down, landing on Goldie’s paw. She wore a tiny golden crown, and when she spoke, her voice was a soft hum.

“I,” she said, “am Queenie Bumblebuzz.”

Lily explained that they needed honey. “It’s to save a little lamb called Grace Woollyhop, Your Majesty—”

“Bzzzzz,” Queenie interrupted. “Of course you may have some honey! What sort does Grace like? We have lavender honey, blueberry honey, orange blossom honey, and many more. See?” She pointed out lots of little hives dotted around the Honey Tree.

Jess sighed. “They all sound delicious,” she said. “But we don’t know which one is Grace’s favorite.”

Goldie’s whiskers drooped unhappily. But then Lily gave a cry.

“Yes, we do!” she said, holding out the tambourine. “Grace’s favorite honey is all over this!”

Queenie flew over to the tambourine and tasted the sticky honey. “Why, it’s clover honey,” she said. “We have plenty of that!”

She flew into the hive, and in moments, she came out again with a group of cheerful buzzing bees who were carrying a little wooden bucket full of golden honey.

“Thanks so much,” Jess said, gently taking it from them.

“It’s our pleasure to help,” said Queenie. “Grace is a dear little lamb. We’re looking forward to seeing her at the concert in Harmony Hall.”

“Are you going?” asked Lily.

“I am the leader of the royal bee band,” said Queenie proudly. “We’re called the Honey Buns. We’ll be performing the Bumble Boogie!”

“We’ll look forward to that!” said Lily. She had a thought. “Queenie, do you know anything about Grace’s secret?”

“No,” said the bee, “but Buzz Busywing is her friend, and he was behaving very strangely this morning. He left for Harmony Hall, but he wouldn’t tell anyone what he was doing. We bees have been buzzing about it all morning—it’s a mystery! Perhaps it could be something to do with Grace’s secret?”

“Maybe,” Jess said. “We’ll go and find him. Thank you, Your Majesty.”

The friends made their way back across the branch and through the forest. “Where is Harmony Hall, Goldie?” Lily asked.

“This way!” Goldie led them through the forest up to a curtain of glossy green ivy. The sound of sweet voices singing came from behind. “Welcome to Harmony Hall,” she said, pulling back the curtain.

“Wow!” said Jess and Lily.

They stepped into a beautiful outdoor theater. The curved stage was surrounded by stone benches carved from shimmering pink rock that sparkled in the sunlight.

A choir was rehearsing onstage, with wooden stands holding their song sheets.

“Some of our friends are here already!” whispered Jess in delight.

The singers were Lola Velvetnose the mole, Sophie Flufftail the squirrel, and Emily Prickleback the hedgehog. Singing along with them was a bee.

“He must be Buzz Busywing,” Jess whispered. “That’s what the musical mystery was... a choir!”