The Last Bee

Scene three. The last one.

Fifteen years later.

Voices drift up from the sink hole, singing doleful songs.

Voice of Brother Giroflée: All our brothers.....aaahu!

Voice of Paquette: And all of our sisters.....waiwai!

Candide (looking into the sink hole): How are the bees doing?

Voice of Brother Giroflée: The last one has flitted.

Candide: This isn't how it was meant to be when we started our garden.

Martin: And yet, it was bound to happen.

Doctor Pangloss: Was it?

He picks up the tin. It's full of money.

Old Lady: All is not lost. I've just had a phone call from Costa. He's coming back to make a follow up program.

Cunégonde: Oh dear. He won't like how our garden is looking.

Old Lady: Don't worry. I've found another ball of string.

Stink bug: Where was it?

Old Lady: Hold the end of this string while I lay out a new garden.

Stink bug: Hello, my string!

Paquette (fluttering out of the sink hole): Would you prefer ribbons?

Stink bug: No way! Ribbons are girly.

Brother Giroflée (appearing next to Paquette): Our orange tree died.

Audience member: Struck by lightning?

Old Lady: Highly unlikely. And irrelevant. This is fifteen years later.

She starts spooling out string.

Costa cycles out from behind the curtain. He does not look fifteen years older.

He chucks down his bike.

Costa: How's the sunken garden going?

Old Lady: Our bees have all died, and the gardeners are losing hope, but I'm laying out a new garden.

Costa: What's wrong with the old one? Did you set up a mirror?

Candide: Yes, and our vegies all fried.

Costa: It's the climate, changing. What you need to do on the hottest days is cover the mirror.

Cunégonde: Now you tell us. And what about the bees?

Costa: You can buy bees on the internet, but they're expensive.

Audience member: Don't ask us for the money!

Old Lady (turning quickly to defend Costa): He wouldn't......arggh!

She trips on her string.

It's the best trip she's done. Super convincing.

Candide carries her off.

Pouf! The candles go out.

Dark figures lift Nobby from the sink hole and place him at ground level, in a central position.

He does his best to look dead.

The candles are relit, for the orange dance.

Brother Giroflée:  Many hot suns since,
                             I lost my brother
                             And my sorrows began.
                             Now of sorrows I have another.
                             Woe!
                             Our last bee's hit the fan.

Paquette: Our last bee's hit the fan, o-waley-waley.

Nobby: And I'm cactus, ee-ho!

Stink bug: I'll string you up. Stay still, stupid.

Nobby: Eee-ho! I am.

Paquette, Brother Giroflée, and the stink bug circle Nobby, with string, until he looks like a coconut.

Anyone would think they had practised.