Hello again, gnome-fans! Please, make yourself at home. There’s a case of cider in the fridge, and I’ve got a tasty rosé I could open if you’re interested. In any case, today’s post involves one of my former roommates: a wasp named Simon. Far from being a pale man of English descent and a particular religious leanings, Simon was a yellow jacket. Simon and I met far too early on a chilly November morning, right before I was about to head out to work. He buzzed around my head a few times, knocked against the wall, and then abruptly flew into my floor lamp, where he buzzed about some more, apparently unable to get himself out. I didn’t have the time or the inclination to rescue him from his eventual death by light bulb, so I just shut off the light and headed out for the day. By the time I got home I’d almost entirely forgotten about Simon, and shrieked when the lighting of the floor lamp was answered with buzzing. He eventually quieted down, and I hesitantly sat at my desk, determined to let the little menace deal with his own choices. But even as he settled down, I felt more and more disappointed with myself. How could I let him die a slow, painful death? Expecting the worst, I tipped the floor lamp on its side. The wasp flew out, droning drunkenly through the air and hitting the wall a few more times before flying right back into the lamp again. I scowled and sat back down. The wasp had made his bed, and now he could lay in it for all I cared. Except, of course, I did care. The next day was one I had off, and I sat down at my desk that morning intending to get some freelancing done, especially since my roommates were out of the house for the day. A few hours in, I was thinking to myself, “Goodness, it’s nice to have the place to myself.” Almost immediately afterwards, the wasp buzzed over my head, crashing into the wall yet again and landing in my pencil holder. “Hey, Simon,” I said, giving the insect a tentative smile, “I didn’t realize you were home.” Thus began our day together. Simon took particular delight in flying up to perch on the feather butterflies that I had wrapped around the lamp, though he was dreadfully camera shy, expertly evading every attempt to get a good picture of him
He was also fond of wandering across my keyboard, perhaps brought there by the oils from my fingers. Let me tell you, few things make for worse typing than a curious yellow jacket. For he was a yellow jacket, I’d checked. I’d also found out that he might like some of the apples that I had in the kitchen, and I resolved to start leaving little bits out for him. For all that he couldn’t fly worth a damn, he was a clever little thing, and went in and out of the lamp several times, somehow endearing himself to me in the process.
Alas, all good things must come to an end, and our time together ended perhaps more tragically than some. I like having candles burning while I work, and today was no exception. Now, when I said that Simon was clever, this was not to say that he was possessed of much common sense. Sadly, Simon had a tempestuous love for hot things that were likely to kill him, so of course he eventually tangoed with open flame. It ended poorly. Surprisingly, he crashed but did not burn, and instead flew off and away (no more drunkenly than normal) and in the direction of the lamp. It all happened so suddenly that I couldn’t be sure of where he went, and subsequent huntings yielded nothing. It was then of course that I was struck by and idea: what if Simon had not died a burn-related death at all? What if I simply chose to pretend that he instead went to a magical land and had fantastic adventures? It seemed like a much better story, at any rate.
With that, the story of A Girl and Her Wasp was born. I’ve not got any storyline done up yet, but the gist is that Simon is transported to a magic land, where he meets a girl named Sophia, called “Brave” for her daring deeds. Simon is drawn to her, as he is to all sources of light, and the two team up to go on further adventures. Along the way, they meet a host of characters, as one is wont to do in a magical land. Admittedly, these characters were created from small charms/ toys/ junk that gets left at the registers where I work, so the concepts need some tweaking. I name these things, give them a tiny sign introducing who they are, and then quietly mourn when they eventually disappear/ are thrown the the trash. This host currently includes a sentient lucky rock, and his friend, a small, sparkly white puff ball; Jonathan the angel and his brontosaurus friend, Monique; Ernest(a) the gender-fluid ladybug; Leviathan the Wonder Staple, and his sidekick, Froggy Rob; and Brook, a small, sparkly sphere, who I’m not sure about as far as species, but know that they are definitely gender neutral/ apathetic. So, to further this goal, I started drawing wasps here recently, so I can eventually draw a cute, cartoon-style Simon. Which is why there’s a drawing of a yellow jacket at the top. Now you know.
Thoughts, questions, cries of despair? Do you have a suggestion on or character that should feature on A Girl and Her Wasp? Tell me below! In the meantime, I’ll see you next time–same gnome time, same gnome channel.
Gnomling's Corner 