The Murmur Of Bees Novels & Stories

Like glass pretending to be open sky. The sound comes suddenly. Not a wave. Not laughter. A hum. Low. Vibrating. Wrong. I sit up sharply. The beach flickers. Just for a heartbeat, like heat distortion, but it’s enough. “Did you feel that?” I ask. They all look at me, confused. “Feel what?” Luca asks. The hum deepens. My head aches. The warmth on my skin falters, like a memory losing detail. Sand bleeds into white.

I cursed under my breath when my chest thumps loudly like before. You shouldn’t get affected! I lectured my heart who keeps beating loudly and fast. “Captain!” “Say yes to me Captain!” “Captain my panty just got drop because of you!” “Ah Captain!” Shouts and screams filled the area. I winced from the loudness of it. My ears are hurting from their shouts. “Captain is really in demand!” the announcer chuckled. “But I heard he already have his object of affection.” I pouted my lips then drop my eyes on my camera.

If Beatrice had been able to unscrew her eyelids for a second she would’ve seen Patience collapse against the sink unit of the Userkaf’s kitchen with her hands clamped to the side of her head, ineffectually trying to shut out the terrible noise. The sound had started when the lobster was coming to boiling point. Beatrice had placed the first creature into the steel pot when the water was tepid. As the water began to heat up, a small buzzing noise had both Beatrice and Patience looking around the kitchen for a wasp. Then the water bubbled and hissed and the buzzing noise seemed to morph into a single pitch, going from uncomfortable to agonising in mere seconds, immobilising both girls with it

her voice faltered, trailing off a moment before she continued, “well, after you were born, there was no secret more important.” When she looked confused, her mother held up a hand for patience, taking a quiet moment to collect her thoughts before continuing. Kylan waited, lacing her fingers with the older woman’s for support. Earnestly, she examined the worry and the stress in her mother’s features, the subtle way she shifted as if afraid the ground beneath them were about to vanish. If only she knew what made her mother quake. Could whatever secret Maureen carried all these years really be as catastrophic as it seemed?

Something that shouldn't be disturbed in the house of silence, not far from the killing square. Hope sprang in this house, and her tidy walls did rattle with joy. It was the most the house could do, for if she was capable of more, her silver and goldwares, plates, and cups would have left their racks and cupboards to make high-pitched sounds. Beds, sofas, stools, chairs, and tables would have joined in, causing a ruckus to attract attention. But this was a house that was not to be noticed. A house cursed to create nothing but whispers. A house that wasn't a house.

I’m quickly learning that love is messy and complicated. I stepped out of the bathroom and listened intently to see if I detected any sounds in the house. The only thing I could hear was the deafening roar of silence and the beating of my heart in my ears. I softly and slowly stepped back down the hall, careful to not make any noise. As I entered the kitchen, I could hear Vanessa still talking outside. I exhaled the air I had been holding in as I crept slowly toward the back door so I could hear better.

Seeing that her eyes were closed and she looked serene apart from a slight frown, I chose not to say anything before turning on the water. “I knew it,” she murmured. Was that the barest hint of a smile? “Bemoaning your lack of privacy, my love?” “Hardly, Calvin. Are we doing it in here?” “Depends what you mean by that.” “Trust you. I meant fessing up.” “What’s that? I can’t hear you,” I said, as the water gushed from the showerhead. She took my point and began to hum to herself. I doubted she even knew she was doing it.

Damn it. Just as I was about to turn away, I noticed a small, almost invisible gap in the doorframe, a tiny bit of light seeping through. It wasn't completely flush. I pressed my ear against it. I could hear a faint, rhythmic beep-boop sound, like someone was inputting a code, followed by a soft click. And then, silence again.

The music hushed to that of a hummingbird, sweet, quiet but still exasperated. I finally saw 'she.'

The murmur began at the far edge of the room. It was not a sudden burst of noise, but a slow, spreading friction that rippled through the outer tables. People who had been talking turned their heads away from the main floor to stare down at the small screens lighting up in their hands. Maya did not look down. Her eyes remained fixed on the space ahead of her, but her jaw tightened. The shift in the room was palpable, a sudden drop in the temperature of the air that had nothing to do with the wind outside.