When I was about six years old, I had never been stung by a bee (still haven't!), but I knew other kids who had and I knew that it hurt like bloody blue blazes.

I was playing out in the yard one day when suddenly the biggest bee I had ever seen came darting and buzzing very loudly around the yard. Hovered by a flower, then zipped off to another one, buzzing loudly all the way. Shot right past me to another flower.

Scared the be-Jesus out of me!

Like a Jack-in-the-box, I levitated to the porch, dove behind the screen door, and into the house, yelling for Mom.

"Mom! There's a huge, giant BEE out in the yard!!!"

She came out of the kitchen and looked through the screen door. I pointed it out to her.

"Oh!" she said, "that's only a hummingbird. It's harmless. It won't hurt you."

I'd never heard of a hummingbird before, and had certainly never seen one. Little bitty thing. The only bird that can actually hover in one place like a helicopter. Or a bee. Tiny little jewel of a bird. But gi-normous compared to a bee!

Still deeply suspicious, I decided to play in the house for awhile.

Don Firth