The peculiar case of the bee in the fridge

A most bothersome buzzing

The sun had long since set over the small suburban town. Evening clouds had dispersed and the clear night sky was littered with stars. The crescent moon shined down on the neighborhood like a mother’s warm smile. It casted a low glow over the houses and made the shadows dance. The night air was cool and carried noise into the ears of anyone awake. Of course, at this hour all the good behaved and well-mannered children were already asleep. All except for Olivia, who lived in the small house on the corner of maple and oak. This wasn’t to say Olivia was a bad girl, she tried her best to mind her manners, and she usually remembered to let the cat in from the rain. However, on this particular night Olivia was still awake despite her mother’s wishes. This wasn’t due to lack of tiredness, in fact Olivia was particularly tired, she just couldn’t seem to find rest.

She sat up in her bed and looked around her room. Her blinds were closed but a small bit of moonlight was able to seep in through the edges. When the light hit the wall, it gave the illusion that the butterflies on her wallpaper were moving. She squinted her eyes against the darkness. Aside from that her room seemed to be in order, or it would have been if her door hadn’t been ajar. She had remembered her mother closing it before she left so there was no reason for it to be open now. “How strange,” she said and shifted off her bed, the floor was cold beneath her feet. She shuffled to the side of the door and slid on her kitten shaped slippers. As she prepared to close her door, a faint light from downstairs caught her eye. “Even more strange,” she opened the door and crept into the hallway

“Who would be in the kitchen this late?” she asked herself. She looked to the right and saw her mother’s door closed as usual. Her brother’s door was also shut; besides he was far too young to be able to leave the room alone. She walked to the top of the stairs and crouched to get a better view. She could see only the corner of their small kitchen table, but it was illuminated by a dim light. A strange sound like a muffled buzz hit Olivia, she squinted her eyes as she listened. She decided that whatever the strange sound was it warranted further investigation. She slides on her butt down the stairs taking each step at a time. As the kitchen came into view the light which came from the refrigerator went out. She heard the sound of the door closing and she stopped in her tracks. She wasn’t necessarily afraid, but the idea of a burglar eating her food did cross her mind, and while her mother’s homemade honey lemon squares were delicious they certainly weren’t worth losing one’s life.

The kitchen was silent, save for the buzzing noise that sounded even more muffled then before. She made her way down the rest of the stairs and into the kitchen, her eyes watched for anything out of the ordinary. She walked past the kitchen table where her mothers neatly arranged centerpiece sat. Olivia stopped in front of the large white refrigerator door. She brushed her long brown hair to the side and pressed her ear against the cold metal. She could no longer her the noise from inside. She sighed “I need to go to sleep I’m hearing things,” she said and turned to go. As her back turned the noise resumed, she spun on her heel and grabbed the door handle with both hands. Olivia pulled the door open and was immediately blinded by an intense bright light. She released the door and covered her eyes with her arms. She lowered her arm and looked into the fridge. What she expected to see was not what she saw, instead of shelves lined with food and drink she was greeted by an endless white light.

She stared into the light for a few seconds unblinking. “I’m starting to think I might be dreaming,” she said and took a step closer to the fridge. “Although I suppose if this where a dream I wouldn’t be so tired,” she said and moved her hand towards the inside of the fridge. As it got close she could feel a slight warm breeze on her skin. She took a deep breath and stepped into the fridge, her eyes clenched to protect from the blinding light.