Roller Coaster Bees

Roller Coaster Bees
by
Robin Hall

Way, way, way, way, way out in Brooklyn, just past the corner of Petunia Avenue and 12,448 th Street sits the rusting remains of the Petunia Avenue Amusement Park. At one time it was a potential rival for Coney Island Park but due to some Union squabbles, no buses would go there and the park just withered up and passed on as many things and people do when no one can come to visit.

Of course the local Humble-Bee Bumblebees didn't mind at all. In fact they loved the place. Sure there were lots of vandals at first. All sorts of footpads, cut purses, thieves, robbers and even worse spray painters, who today are called taggers, came around in their time. But when most of the good stuff was gone and there wasn't anything left unpainted even these hooligans departed and nature returned. Flowers bloomed, grasses and weeds sprouted everywhere and a few trees took root. It began to look like it used to long before people came, except for the tall roller coaster tracks which probably weren't there before people came but I don’t really know for sure.

There were birds, spiders, bugs of all sorts and bees galore, just like out in the country. Some local cats would wander in looking for mice. Stray dogs came too and sometimes had puppies in the falling down sheds. Things looked good for all the plants and animals, including the Humble-Bee Bumblebees until two summers ago. Some smarty pants young developers decided this was going to be their own ticket to riches. They bought the land, hired surveyors and bribed the head of the bus union to come out for a look-see to get several buses an hour going. That’s when the trouble started.

Bill, the BIG BUMBLE, wasn't having any of this. His hive and ancestors had been here, right under the roller coaster for decades, liked the area and were determined to stay. PERIOD. Now Bill was of course Wilhelmena, but all the bees called her BIG BILL just because, if you know what I mean, she was one rough and organized bee. When the surveyors arrived, BIG BILL pounced on the fellow with the laser survey thingy on a tripod. He yelled some funny words, jumped hard, broke the laser thingy and took off. Later he got a nice peaceful job with McDonald's and seemed quite happy.

The Union Boss, Clyde Barry, didn't have such a good time either. BIG BILL had organized the bees, six spiders, a cat and some of the mean looking ants. They were all waiting... Needless to say Clyde didn't come back either and no buses to this day are anywhere near Petunia Avenue and 12,448 th Street.

The local folks were upset at the builders as well. They organized a lawyer party, hired a fine retired judge, a local woman named Beulah Wilson, filed all sorts of writs, habeus corpses and the like and put an end to the developers dreams of quick riches. The neighbors liked nature just as much as the animals and didn't want some fancy condominiums growing where trees should be. It was a victory for all.

You know sometimes getting organized can get you what you want in the world even if its just a little piece of nature in the middle of a huge city. There might be some organizing to do in your neighborhood. Take a tip from BIG BILL, the Humble-Bee Bumblebees and the neighbors around the old Petunia Avenue Amusement Park. Get organized, get a good lawyer, some bees and bugs on your side and see what can happen.