Becoming More Than Andre

Becoming More Than Andre

Or Bees Are Great in a Lot of Ways

 

-By Petal De Jaune, a Daffodil of Ruins Hill-

 

If love does not ennoble me, but leaves my heart in ruin,

Then I cut off an ear for love, and I defy the moon.

 

-Andre St. Denis De Foi

 

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Andre isn’t really what you’d call awesome. He’s interesting maybe, but just in the way Napoleon was when he posed for a portrait. He’s been running around publicizing how cool he is because he decided to be a "handsome rebel," and charming everybody is a part of the program. But everyone knows it’s mostly because this gorgeous ingenue seems to think of him that way, too. He isn’t stuck-up or anything because he doesn’t really have the edgy looks and lisping audacity to pull off that kind of ruse. He’s more like a sheltered kid with a super-positive outlook on himself: He believes he’s pretty much what the Gardener wants him to be, and he thinks he’s totally loved by someone he’s totally in love with. He wants to be a lover more than anything, and to him, you can’t be a lover without being ridiculously attractive.

 

The Gardener thinks Andre’s on to something important and seems to take a special interest in him because, bugs like Andre, don’t know how bad others can be when you’re happy. But it’s not like his fellow bees are outraged about his leaving or anything because almost no one knows that he left.  There are like a gazillion bees in that hive; and if they do come to realize that Andre’s gone, they’ll probably just figure that he’s dead. Bees are great in a lot of ways, but big things can happen right in front of them, and they don’t even notice! Andre probably thinks his colleagues are organizing a search party, maybe even a posse, but hives don’t work like that when you’re a romantic rebel, especially if you’re kind of an average-looking bee like Andre. Still, this story is make-believe, and I could be totally wrong. So, who really knows?