Emergency: Insect Allergy

Angelina, a nineteen-year old girl, had been wandering through a deserted piece of property at the end of a gravel road, with her new boyfriend, Nicholas. Out of curiosity, he had entered an old, deserted, moss-covered cabin with its doorway blocked by a huge, shimmering, spider web.

“Oh, no!” he had exclaimed.

Angelina waited, but Nicholas did not come back out.

Moments later, a huge swarm of angry bees stormed through the doorway and forced Angelina to run.  

“Nicholas?” she hollered from a distance, but he did not answer.

“I didn’t get stung, but Nicholas probably did. He may have insect allergies. Maybe he is allergic to bee venom and unconscious by now. I have to get help for him, fast.”

In the distance, she spotted an elderly man with a long, white beard, dressed in a worn-out gray hat and jacket, dark pants and black gum-rubber boots. He carried an old, leather knapsack over his shoulder, and walked towards her slowly, using a walking stick to keep his balance in the spongy peat moss.

“Please hurry! This is an emergency.”

“Hello, I’m Devon. I decided to check out the cabin when I saw your car,” the man replied. “You are on private property!” 

Angelina apologized and quickly explained the situation.

“Put this over your head,” Devon said, taking a mosquito net out of his knapsack. “Pull your socks up over your pant legs and tuck your shirt cuffs into these gloves.

Angelina did exactly as Devon suggested.

“We’ll make a smoke torch and go in after him,” said Devon, calling 911 on his cell phone. “Hopefully, we reach him in time. I have matches, but we need dry wood to start a fire and damp grass to make smoke. Bees don’t like smoke!”

They made their way carefully to the old log cabin.

“Maybe the spider bit him.” 

“Spider bites are painful,” said Devon. “I carry adrenalin for insect bites when I am wandering in the bush, just in case.”

“Are we too late?” wondered Angelina.