The Wasp. Scilly Isles 12. Written by Richard Alan Gardham. Transcribed by Angela Gardham.

It was hot in the kitchen and the wasp came in. It felt a bit uncomfortable with it buzzing all around the kitchen. The chef’s wife was frightened of it and right in the middle of service! I grabbed the fly spray- first shot hitting full on. It’s buzzing increased, flying up and down in berserk agony. I sprayed it again and again, it’s buzzing turned into a berserk scream. Everybody was diving out of its way.

Then it started going around and around.

Then it started to go down.

Then it went straight for me. A towel shoved it off.

Then I chased it with the spray on all the time. It shot up into the light.

Then it got madder still as the heat from the bulb burnt it. Off it shot again, backwards forwards sideways.

Then it started to circle again.

Then its circle began to lower, spraying it full on, it hit the floor.

Then it started to go around in circles on the kitchen floor.

Die, you b……, die, die. It was getting on my nerves so I grabbed a stool an’ carefully aimed with one of its legs an’ pressed the leg on to it. Its squashed remains seemed to make a last attempt for life an’ started to climb up the chair leg. I banged the stool down again. It was dead. The service carried on normally.