Book I: Burnt Bliss [BoyxBoy]

Chapter 10: Flight of Birds, Buzzing of Bees

Will sat up and faced his Uncle. "Free will is supposed to be a good thing, but it gives us chances to commit misdeeds of cruelty."

He picked up a white flower he'd noticed under a crumpled leaf, and slowly peeled the lifeless petals back as he mused.

"Look at the war; wasn't most of it about how the country should be run? Why kill fellow citizens--fellow humans--instead of talking to them about it? Wouldn't they have to do that afterwards anyway?" the outer layers of the flower were stained with dirt, and he couldn't brush it all off, so he pulled off the dirty petals, one by one.

"All that unneeded violence, happening right here in Farnham; different groups holding up the castle every few years. I know it ended when I was little, but I still take issue with it." he mused.

The next layer of delicate petals were a dingy, greyish white.

"I mean, they say the Roundheads 'won' but really, in the end, thousands of people died. How can you claim you've won, but mostly you just killed people you disagreed with?" the innermost layers were bright white, but still limp, unable to bud new life.

"War is its own kind of righteousness. There are times when it's justified and times when it isn't." Uncle Deus explained. "Each war is different. No one was agreeing about how things should be done and it didn't seem like there wasn't any other way to change things without fighting. Fights are painful, but sometimes conflict can make change, and people can find a way to agree after all is said and done."

"All that effort, just to understand each other better."

Will frowned. He couldn't think of a single situation where his parents would be willing to try and understand he didn't want the things they'd chosen for him. He could imagine a fight, but no good result coming from it. "Maybe humans are too complicated."

Will looked past his Uncle, and noticed a blue-jay twittering as it looked around, perched on a nearby tree branch. "I think I'd like to be a bird."

His uncle raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Why?"

"Well, they have so much freedom. They go where they want, whenever they want. They find any food they like, but they always have their nests and mates and young to return to. They're just leading simple, free lives."

"Are you envious at this?" he stared very intently at his nephew. What would make Will feel that way?

"Perhaps. But uncle," Will continued. "Not all animals seem that free. That bee's nest we passed by over there." he pointed to a large, yellow hive which was hanging on a thick branch, dozens of bees buzzing around it. "The bees seem to only hover around their hive. What exactly do they do all day? And why do they buzz so?"

"That's the noise of their tiny little wings. It naturally sounds when they're flying, and it helps them bring pollen to each flower. Quite useful, really. As for their daily lives, it depends on the type, but they mostly pollinate flowers, create delicious honey for their Queen, and sting people when they're not looking." he poked him, wearing a joyful smirk.

Unfortunately, his quip was lost on Will. He was still focused on the hive. They looked bound to their home.

"So all the bees do the same thing?" He gingerly asked.

"Yes."

"Can they choose to do something different?"

"Not particularly. They can't think like we can. They don't make choices, they go on instinct."

"Why do they stay at their hive?"

"It's in their nature to stay close to home."

"I think I know how they feel."