Darius Bell and the Crystal Bees (17 page)

‘I say, hang the parade!' boomed the St Robius principal. ‘Viglen wins for showing this mayor for what he is! That's a Mayor's Prize, if you ask me! A prize for this mayor, anyway!'

A murmur ran through the crowd, and then someone started laughing. The laughter spread. Eventually the entire square echoed with it.

George Podcock stood on the podium, a red-faced, dishevelled man with a gold chain that was on backwards, who could see nothing in front of him but a sea of laughing faces.

He turned and stormed toward the edge of the platform.

‘Make way for the mayor!' cried the usher sarcastically.

Mr Podcock shoved him aside and ran down the stairs.

‘Well, I think that went remarkably well,' said Darius's mother when they all got into the car. ‘What do you think, Cyrus?'

‘Very good, Mama.'

‘Better than very good,' said Hector, who had known nothing of the plan, and when Micheline asked if he would like to come to the parade had assumed that the bee disguises were simply the costumes that Darius's class was wearing. ‘It was excellent, stupendous, mesmerising. In short . . .' Hector paused. He stared at everyone in amazement. ‘It was so good, I don't even have a word for it!'

‘That's a first,' muttered Cyrus.

‘Indeed it is!' cried Hector cheerfully. ‘Darius, I don't think I've ever seen a more dignified set of bees. All of you! Such dignity – even when you were buzzing.'

‘It's never pleasant to see a man humiliated,' said Micheline. ‘But I think it's fair to say that George Podcock brought it on himself.'

Darius agreed. Somehow, watching the mayor as he stood on the platform with the whole square laughing at him, looking like a caricature of a mayor with his hair messed up and his robe out of place and his chain turned backwards, Darius had actually felt sorry for him. Yet George Podcock really had brought it on himself. ‘You warned him, Papa. Remember? You told him that if he didn't change the resolution on bees then the consequences would be on his own head.'

‘So I did,' said Hector. ‘I don't think he believed me.'

‘Well, today he felt a bee's sting to prove it,' said Micheline.

‘Four stings!' said Marguerite.

‘From the way he looked,' added Oliver, ‘I think he would have preferred real ones.'

Paul Klasky nodded. ‘You know what they say. There are times when you just can't do without bees.'

Darius grinned. ‘For once, Paul, I think you've found a saying that hits the nail on the head.'

‘Really?' Paul's eyes lit up with delight. ‘I just made that one up.'