Zap tingled with excitement as he hovered above the starting twig. Wizzy the horsefly was lined up next to him, buzzing.
âOK,â said Crunch, the stag beetle. âFirst one to Gonzoâs Rock and back wins. Ready ⦠steady ⦠GO!â Crunch swiped his antlers down.
The race was on!
Zap flapped his wings with all his might. Spinnerâs Wood became a green blur as he sped around the rock. He may have been just a tiny weevil, but he felt as tall as a tree when he was flying.
Zap did a loop-the-loop as he soared across the finish line. Heâd won! Iâm the fastest bug in the wood, he thought. Maybe Iâm the fastest bug ever!
Zap landed on Gonzoâs Rock. A crowd of cheering bugs crawled over to him.
âWell done,â said Crunch, patting him on the back with his claw. Buzz the ladybird nudged his way through the crowd.
âSuper flying, champ,â he said. âI bet youâre up for having this party now.â
It had been Buzzâs idea to throw a party to celebrate Spinnerâs disappearance. The evil spider had not been seen since he fell into a lake of honey and Zapâs friends were convinced he was gone for good. But Zap wasnât so sure â¦
Buzz crawled up on to a large stone.
âOK, everyone,â he said loudly. âTime to play Guess My Spots!â
Zap smiled. This was the ladybirdâs favourite game. A group of bugs gathered round. Mazie the millipede crawled forward first and looked at Buzzâs back.
âEasy!â she said. âYouâve got eight spots.â
âBuzz,â warned Zap, âstop cheating.â
The weevil pointed to a tiny speck of blackberry stuck to Buzzâs shell, which made it look like he had an extra spot! Buzz flicked his shell and caught the berry-speck in his mouth.
âI didnât see that there,â he said, innocently chewing the berry. âShame to waste it, though!â
Zap and Mazie laughed. Eating was his other favourite thing!
Zapâs best friend, Lurch the dung beetle, rushed over pushing a ball of poo.
âHey, guys,â he said. âFancy playing Pass the Dung Ball? Whoeverâs holding it when the bees stop humming gets to take a bite!â
âYuck!â said Buzz, backing away. âThatâs one thing even I wonât eat.â
âAnd thatâs one game I donât want to win,â Zap whispered to Buzz, grinning.
Finally, the party was over. As the last guest crawled away, Gonzo, the wise old grasshopper, hopped on to his rock.
âWell, did you all have fun?â he asked.
âLots!â said Buzz.
âItâs my lucky day,â said Lurch. âI won Pass the Dung Ball every time!â
âThanks for letting us have the party here,â said Zap.
âYouâre welcome,â replied Gonzo, smiling.
Buzz gave a big yawn. âHaving fun makes me sleepy.â
Zap looked around â berries and leaves were scattered everywhere. âI think weâd better tidy up first,â he said.
Gonzo gave Zap a nod of approval.
âIâll tidy up all the berries,â said Buzz, scuttling towards a juicy red mound.
Crunch laughed.
âDonât you mean eat all the berries?â
âSame difference!â yelled Buzz, through a mouthful.
Zap was dragging the leaves into a pile when he noticed something thin and shiny in the bushes. Was that spiderâs silk? He quickly flew over to check. Phew! It was only a stray piece of shell left over from a butterfly chrysalis.
Gonzo hopped over to him. âStop worrying,â said the grasshopper. âSpinnerâs gone.â
âHow can you be sure?â asked Zap.
âWeâve searched the whole wood,â replied Gonzo. âThereâs no sign of him.â
Zap nodded, feeling safer. He flew back to Gonzoâs Rock.
Once the rock was tidy, the Bug Buddies settled down for the night next to Algae Pond. Zap quickly fell asleep. He dreamt he was trying to fly, but his wings wouldnât work and he fell into a deep hole. It was pitch black, apart from eight eyes staring at him from the darkness â¦
Zap woke with a start. Stop being silly, he told himself, it was just a dream. He looked up at the dark swaying trees. Was Spinner still out there somewhere?