The Sting

I couldn't believe how quickly the weather had changed, yesterday I was buzzing around enjoying the sunshine but today it was freezing freezing and I knew it was time for me to find somewhere warm for the winter or risk being killed by this cold snap.
I felt drowsy, weak; that was the cold doing that to me, my body couldn't cope with this sudden change. I decided to take a break, have a nap and accept the circle of life.
The balcony was perfect; it was out of the wind and rain and was warmed by the sun when it chose to shine through the black clouds. I stretched out and closed my eyes.
It couldn't have been more than a few minutes later that I heard the noise, the big blue slippers shuffled around the balcony, a tuneless song filled the air and with a whoosh a flick of the foot and I was falling falling. It all happened so fast that I'd only just opened my wings when I hit the ground with a thump and felt them crumple beneath me. 

Now I knew my time was up, I knew that autumn follows summer, that hibernation is an option but the cold normally kills us off no matter how warm we wrap ourselves up. But although I didn’t mind succumbing to autumn, I wasn’t about to die in a fall. I looked up to the balcony I’d fallen off, it seemed a long way up and my wings were no use, but I could crawl and I would crawl.

Two days later Geoff was eating his morning cereal on the balcony. The harsh cold rain of the days before had given way to bright autumnal sunshine. There was a chill in the air but it was warm enough for an alfresco breakfast. Suddenly he felt a stinging pain in his right foot. The pain made him lose control of his bowl and he watched it summersault into the air splashing milk and cornflakes on the street below as he hopped around on the spot. Geoff looked down to see what had caused the pain. He saw a small, dishevelled wasp, its wings twisted, its body limp and the faintest of smiles on its face.