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Short story · From the Margen catalogue

Twenty-four bees discover America

—I need twenty-four costumes by Thursday, Nekane. —Twenty-four I have. —Sailors? —Bees. —I'm staging the Discovery of America. —And I've had twenty-four bees in the stockroom for four summers. —I need two caravels, a carrack, sailors, a queen and Christopher Columbus. —And I need paying for the order you placed a fortnight ago. —I ordered historical costumes. —You ordered "something period". I've got it written down. —My pupils can't reach America buzzing. —They'll get there faster. Wings save on navigation. —I want them to learn what happened. —They'll learn it's worth confirming the costumes before the dress rehearsal. —That one's for me to learn. —Then the show already has educational content. —I need three ships. —Three big bees. —Ships don't fly. —Which is why they took so long to cross the Atlantic. —Aristegui, I haven't slept for two weeks and the rehearsal is tomorrow. I need a crew. —Nineteen small bees. —And Columbus. —A bee in a hat. —And Queen Isabella. —Another bee, with a crown. —They all have yellow stripes. —Uniformity of the Crown. —They all have antennae. —Navigation instruments. —Nekane, I want rigour. —Julen, you want twenty-four costumes by Thursday. Rigour closed on Monday. —The parents are going to ask why Columbus has wings. —Tell them it's dramatic licence. —And the pupils playing the ships? —They stand in threes. —That's nine pupils. —Perfect: the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María, three children each. —The Santa María wasn't a caravel. —Then you've got a fact to explain. —And who does the ocean? —Whoever isn't on stage. —The ocean doesn't buzz either. —This Thursday it does. —The head wants a serious play. —Put a serious bee on as the head. —He also wants it to last twenty minutes. —With twenty-four children dressed as bees it'll last exactly as long as they decide. —I can't rewrite the whole script. —Change "sailor" to "bee". —"Bee, lower the sails." —Works. —"Bee, call out when you see land." —Works better. —"Your Majesty, the bees are requesting funding." —That one's fairly accurate. —I'm worried about the arrival. —What did your script say? —"After weeks at sea, the crew sights land." —Now it'll say: "After weeks at sea, the hive locates flowers." —America can't be a field of flowers. —On the school's budget it couldn't be America either. —Will you hold the price of the order? —If you take all twenty-four today. —I need to try the sizes. —The costumes can be taken in. —Do they have stings? —Fabric ones. —Take them off. There's a battle in the second act. —That's extra. —Then there won't be a battle. —You've just improved fifteenth-century relations. —All right. I'll take the twenty-four. —Hang on. Let me count them again, because I've been saying twenty-four for three days and I haven't touched them since last summer. —Well? —Twenty-three. One's got a broken wing. —That one I'll make the ocean. —There you are. We've got an ending. —The ending will be on Thursday. —Payment will be today. —I paid you on Tuesday, Nekane. And the review of the show is out. —Did they get the bees? —It says: "The year six pupils performed the Discovery in alternative costume. Attendance was good." —That says nothing. —There's a photo. —The head has approved the play as well. —No complaints? —He only asked to change the last line. —Which was? —"Land ahoy!" —And what did he say instead? —"Flower ahoy!"