Zap waved his wings to get Buzzâs attention. He was standing unmarked, right by Centipede Unitedâs goal. If his friend passed him the apple-pip ball he could score!
Suddenly, a leaf blew on to the pitch in front of Buzz. The ladybird dropped the ball and started chomping on the juicy snack. Zapâs antenna sagged. Theyâd never win now.
âWhat a time to stop for a nibble!â said Lurch, darting in and grabbing the apple pip.
âOver here!â shouted Zap.
Lurch hurled the seed in Zapâs direction. The clover seed weevil flicked a wing and sent the ball flying straight into Centipede Unitedâs goal. Gonzo the grasshopper clicked to signal the end of the match.
âThatâs four-three to the Bug Buddies,â shouted Gonzo.
âYes!â cried Zap, soaring into the air, doing a loop-the-loop above the crowd.
When Zap landed back on the soft grass, Crunch the stag beetle tapped him on the back with one of his giant claws.
âWell done,â he said.
Buzz and Lurch flew over to join them.
âHurry up, everyone, itâs time for the parade!â said Buzz.
Zap led the way as they flew over to Gonzoâs Rock. The wise old grasshopper was already there, waiting for all the bugs of Spinnerâs Wood to gather.
Zap shivered as a dark shadow fell over them. He looked up to see thick, grey clouds forming in the sky. None of the other bugs seemed to notice, as they chattered excitedly.
Gonzo held up his front leg, signalling for the crowd to be silent. âFirstly, thank you for putting on such an exciting game,â said the grasshopper. âWhat a great way to start our celebration day â the day when we rename Spinnerâs Wood.â
Zap tingled with excitement. With Spinner, the nasty spider, banished forever, the bugs of the wood wanted no more reminders of his evil existence. They were going to vote on a new name for their home.
âOK, friends,â said Gonzo. âLine up for the victory parade.â
Zap felt proud as he crawled to his place.
âI canât believe I forgot to bring my dung ball,â said Lurch.
âYou say Iâm mad about food,â said Buzz. âYouâre even crazier about poo!â
âOh!â cried Zap when a raindrop fell on his head.
More raindrops tumbled from the sky, followed by a loud rumble of thunder.
âI h-hate storms,â said Crunch, hiding behind his claws.
Gonzo hopped back on to his rock.
âEveryone, take shelter,â he said. âThe renaming ceremony is postponed until tomorrow.â
The sound of disappointed groans filled the clearing.
âLetâs go in there,â cried Lurch, pointing towards a hole in an oak tree trunk. The Bug Buddies took shelter inside the tree hollow.
âItâs a bit dark in here,â said Crunch, nervously.
âAt least weâre safe and dry,â said Zap. âItâs raining really hard now!â
He peered outside. The leaves drooped and the branches rattled as raindrops thudded down. Zap shuddered. Suddenly, it felt eerily cold, as if trouble was waiting just around the corner â¦
Zap opened his eyes and stretched his wings. Along with the rest of the Bug Buddies, heâd curled up in the tree trunk and had managed to sleep through the night, despite the rainstorm howling outside. Now the rain had cleared, but where were his friends?
He crawled out of the hollow to see that the ground was covered in sticky mud.
âAbout time, sleepyhead,â cried a familiar voice.
Zap looked round to see Crunch and Buzz crawling towards him.
âWhereâs Lurch?â he asked.
âHere!â shouted Lurch, appearing from behind a bush. He was pushing a large dung ball, which kept getting stuck in the thick mud.
âPerhaps we should rename it Muddy Wood!â said Lurch, puffing.
âIâm so excited about today, I couldnât eat breakfast,â said Buzz.
âReally?â said Zap, surprised.
âWell ⦠I only had one serving instead of two,â replied Buzz.
Zap laughed as he flew off. âCome on,â he said. âLetâs give this wood a new name!â
Zap, Buzz and Crunch flew towards Gonzoâs Rock, with Lurch crawling along with his dung ball beneath them. A strange glistening kept on catching Zapâs eye. He felt uneasy as he looked about. The wood seems different somehow, he thought, but I canât quite figure out why.
Zap whizzed round a corner to fly up Leafy Lane and stopped dead.
âWhoah!â said Crunch. âWhatâs wrong?â
âTake a look,â said Zap, pointing his antennae.
Leafy Lane, where the box elder bugs lived, was usually full of lush trees and shiny green and white hosta plants. But now the trees were stripped of their leaves and the plants had been eaten back to their stalks.