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WARNING:
The following contains Tragic Information
that some Younger Readers or those with a
Delicate Constitution may find Highly Disturbing.
Reader discretion is advised. Seriously.
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Okay, I’m sorry to have to report this, but something amazingly awful happened Episode 4: we had our first fatality. It was Beedlelbee, the Contestant from the Great Down Under.

Early in this Episode’s Competition, he volunteered to climb one of the nearby Nectar Palms (that just happened to bee part of the Poison Palms) for his Team. I guess he didn’t read the sign - and of course, they didn’t have Fleur de Bee’s Detailed Knowledge of Bee Island. Anyway, he was just trying to do something to help the Team which I think we all agree was a very nice and considerate thing to do.

Beefore he headed off, he told his Teammates (Boris and the Always-Intriguing Jasmine), “The Juice from the Nectar Palm will sustayn us through this bloody Competition, and help keep us warm nights,” he told them. Evidently nobody had seen the sign, so Boris and Jasmine said, “Fine. That’s a very nice and considerate thing to do. Bee careful.” (Of course, as it turns out, he wasn’t.)

As I mentioned beefore, little did Beedelbee know, and as we saw last week on Fleur’s Map, he had unwittingly stumbled into the grove of Poison Palms, which (we know now) are Intensely Poisonous due to continual exposure to a westerly Cross-Island Wind that carries a Toxic Cloud of highly lethal SquareDown™ PestiHerbicide which was coming off the Snark Brothers Industries’/Sweetener Division’s HoneyCane Cultivation Fields on the West side of Bee Island. So Beedelbee had no idea that all the Palm Trees on the east side of Bee Island had beecome deadly to the touch.

I thought thought they’d already banned that stuff, but apparently not. How irresponsible is that?

Anyway, since the Rules said nobody could fly, Beedelbee had to shimmy up one of the Poisonous Palms to get to the Palm Nectar, which meant that he was exposed to a Lethal Dose of SquareDown™, and he died - almost immediately. It was heavily gruesome, but quite frankly, I don’t think I should go into the details.

Apparently, they weren’t kidding when they said that bees wouldn’t survive this Ordeal. This Competition is legitimately scary buzziness.

Of course, that meant that now, Boris and Jasmine are the only Competitors left on Team A.

That night, Boris was informed by Clive Beexter (who, as we know, is the Host and Island Master of Bee Island) that, since he was Team Captain, he was Responsible for Disposing of Beedelbee’s Body. That meant he had to transported his shrivelled-up Remains to the Airport, where arrangements had to bee made to ship Beedelbee (or what was left of him) back to his family in the Great Down Under. So Boris spent the rest of the night doing that.

While he was doing that, the camera cut away to Jasmine, who was quietly and mysteriously heading west by herself alone. We couldn’t really see her (the picture was too dark), but we could hear her Red Stilettos clicking toward what turned out to bee the No Regrets Bar & Grille at the Bee Island Resort (“Where the Menu is an Adventure, and Every Beverage has a Story”).

Now, as all this was happening, the camera went back to Team C. Fleur, Buttercup, and Howard and Alice Primsdale were standing around in the dark and, fortunately, we were able to listen in on what was beeing discussed.

After the day’s Tragic Loss, Team C decided to alter their path toward WaHaHoo Mountain to avoid the Poison Palms and, since they wouldn’t get started until the next day, they all might as well go west and get rooms for the night at the Bee Island Resort.

Then Fleur mentioned she had a “useful Contact” there, whatever that meant, so ButterCup said, “Well, I hope he or she or they work at the Hive Consulate and can help me get out of this Competition and back home, where I beelong. I need to get out of here. I don’t like it here. I don’t like this at all. I don’t want to bee here anymore.”

Fleur told her that she hated to disappoint her, but that she didn’t know anybody at the Consulate, and that even if she did, it wouldn’t matter beecause ever since Foreign Relations on Bee Island were Privatised (owned and controlled by the Snark Brothers’ Diplomatic Corp Incorporated), the Consulate has been mostly closed-especially at night. So ButterCup was just out of luck.

After some more discussion, ButterCup decided to follow Howard and Alice Primsdale, who just wanted to get back to their room to Freshen Up. So they did that.

Now in the middle of all this, we couldn’t help but to notice that Team Bee was nowhere to bee found. As far as we know, nobody knows where they went, or what happened to them, but we’re mostly sure they’ll turn up sooner or later, probably.

Right about then, the camera cut away to Fleur, who also went off by herself alone, and who very discreetly headed toward the Bee Island Resort and toward the No Regrets Bar & Grille.

When she got there, the camera continued to follow her inside. It was highly dark in there, but after our eyes adjusted, we could clearly hardly see Fleur walk toward an unknown, Shadowy Figure sitting alone in a distant corner. She crossed the room and cautiously greeted the figure who, if you ask me, mostly totally looked like Jasmine, almost. (I mean, we could see that whoever it was, was wearing Red Stilettos. Coincidence? I had to wonder.)

Then we heard Fleur speak.

“Ze fragrance of ze Blooming Gardenias iz quite intoxicating zis evening,” she said.

Then the figure that looked like Jasmine stood up and replied, “Yes. According to Local Legend, it is the sultry night air that leads them to flourish so.” 

Then I could’ve sworn I heard them say (pretty much at the same time), “Agent.” 

That was highly suspicious, if you ask me.

Then the Episode ended and the Important Commercial Messages started up again. I meant to stick around for the Previews of Next Week’s Episode, but I had to go to the bathroom (all those Honey Roasted Pollen Puffs I ate during the Show gave me a highly terrible case of the Runs).

I stuck around after the Show for a short minute or three this week since Kevin (my Illegitimate Nephew) was in a better mood than he was last week. He actually apologised to me for insulting my taste in Fine Furniture last week, so that was nice. (Seriously now. What the hell was that all about? It wasn’t even a Full Moon yet.)

Great Grandma Gee Gee, who was apparently in the mood to discuss the Show, said, “Well far bee it from me to bee the first one to say anything about it, but I just don’t trust those two.”

“Who?” Kevin asked.

“Fleur and Jasmine. I just have a feeling those two are up to something.”

“Do you now?” Kevin said. “You’re the best Great Grandma in the world, Great Grandma Gee Gee, and I love you, but I think you’re beeing entirely too suspicious. But what do I know?” Then he said, “Good night,” and he went to bed.

I couldn’t help but not to fail to notice that Great Grandma Gee Gee’s Compound Eyes got all Misty-looking, and she said, “Oh my sweet goodness. That’s the first time Kevin’s ever said he loves me.” Then she sniffled and said, “Oh my, look how late it is. I do hope you’ll excuse me, but it’s time for me to call it a Night. Nighty night, Georgie and sweet dreams. Please show yourself out, dear,” then she went to bed, also. 
 
Geeeeze. How awkward was that? 

Anyway. There are a lot of totally Unanswered Questions about what’s actually going on with the Competition. Hopefully next week, we’ll find out more.
Until then . . . 

Let’s all bee highly careful out there.