Beetle Power!

by Joe Miller

  Contents

  Title Page

  Epigraph

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Bug Facts

  Acknowledgments

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Spinner’s Wood is full of sticky mud, tall trees and long grass. But most of all, it’s full of bugs! Now, some people think that bugs are pests. But they haven’t met Gonzo or the Bug Buddies – four best friends called Zap, Buzz, Lurch and Crunch. Their life would be perfect if it wasn’t for a spider called Spinner, who has eight legs and one mission: to trap the whole wood in his evil web. But you’ll soon find out that even bugs can be heroes …

  Zap was about to score! He darted towards the empty goal and nudged the grass seed ball forwards, ready to shoot. Suddenly Crunch took up position between the two goalposts. The huge stag beetle spread out his claws.

  Slimy snails! thought Zap. How am I going to get the ball past him?

  Then he had an idea. He zipped underneath Crunch’s shiny black body, between his legs and out the other side.

  “Where’s Zap gone?” said Crunch, peering between his legs.

  “Here I am!” shouted Zap, nudging the ball into the goal.

  Zap flew into the air, doing a loop-the-loop in celebration. He may be the smallest beetle in Spinner’s Wood – but he was faster than the rest of his Bug Buddies.

  “Nice move,” Buzz the ladybird called. Zap landed on the soft grass. His best friend, Lurch the dung beetle, scuttled over to him.

  “I’ve seen beetles crawl over somebody to score,” he said, “but never underneath!”

  “I told you this was a good place for a game of Beetle Ball,” said Buzz. “The short grass makes it perfect for Zap’s fancy moves.”

  “We can play here now that we don’t have to worry about Spinner,” said Crunch.

  A tingle of nerves ran through Zap. The Bug Buddies never usually played Beetle Ball this close to Shadow Creek. But since the evil spider, Spinner, had been trapped in a tunnel a few weeks ago, everyone in Spinner’s Wood had lived peacefully. Zap still kept an eye out for eight hairy legs, though.

  After all, he thought, we’ve defeated Spinner before and he’s always returned.

  The four friends made their way over to Algae Pond. “Playing Beetle Ball has made me hungry,” said Buzz.

  Zap laughed. “Everything makes you hungry!” he said.

  Buzz crawled off to search for a snack. Zap smiled as a group of pond-skaters glided over on the surface of the water. Their thin, brown bodies were held above the water by four long, skinny legs.

  “I wish we could play you at Beetle Ball,” one of them called.

  “Me too,” said Zap, “but we can’t float on water.”

  “I wonder if dung balls float?” said Lurch.

  Zap chuckled. His best friend was forever talking about poo!

  A pond-skater pointed a leg towards the other side of the pond. “Hey,” he said, “I didn’t know ladybirds could actually make things go spotty.”

  Zap saw Buzz sitting on a rock which was covered in small, black spots.

  “Time to play a trick,” said Zap, mischievously.

  Zap, Lurch and Crunch flew across the pond, landing next to Buzz.

  “Oh no,” said Zap, pointing at the rock, “are you losing your spots?” Buzz spat out his snack.

  He started scrabbling around on the rock.

  “I’m only teasing,” said Zap. “Your spots can’t really fall off. Anyway, you don’t have this many. You’ve only got seven, remember?”

  Lurch scuttled across the rock, examining the dark spots with a worried expression on his face.

  “What’s wrong?” asked Zap.

  “We’d better be on the lookout for more of these,” said Lurch.

  “Why?” asked Crunch. “They’re just a bunch of spots.”

  “Depends on who left them here,” said Lurch.

  Zap felt a prickle of anxiety.

  When something mysterious happened near Shadow Creek, it usually meant that a certain spider was up to no good …

  The Bug Buddies flew through the wood, searching for more dark spots.

  “There’s some!” shouted Zap, pointing to a green and white hosta plant on the edge of a small clearing.

  Lurch swooped down on the fat leaves, dashing from spot to spot, peering at each one.

  “Look,” said Buzz, pointing his antennae. “They’re all along the bank, too.”

  Zap looked round to see a trail of spots heading towards Gonzo’s Rock. Lurch hurried over to the trail. He flew faster as he came across more and more spots.

  “I’ve never seen Lurch like this before,” said Zap.

  “Me neither,” said Crunch, sounding nervous.

  Lurch crawled back towards them, with a very worried look on his face. “Gather round,” he whispered.

  Zap huddled in close to his Bug Buddies.

  “Why are you whispering?” asked Buzz.

  Lurch nodded at a group of yellow butterflies and white moths playing happily nearby. “I know what the spots are,” said the dung beetle, “and I don’t want to scare the whole wood.”

  Zap’s tummy did a nervous flip. “It’s Spinner, isn’t it?” he said.

  “Shh!” said Lurch. He nodded slowly. “Yes, it’s Spinner. Those dark spots are spider poo.”

  Zap’s wings drooped – this was terrible news.

  “Are you s-sure?” said Crunch, his big claws clattering together.

  “If there’s one thing I’m sure about,” said Lurch, “it’s poo.”

  “I knew he’d be back,” said Zap.

  “It’s not just Spinner,” said Lurch. “With this much poo, he must have an army of spiders with him!”

  “We need to tell Gonzo,” said Zap, flapping his wings. “Right now!”

  Zap spotted the wise grasshopper sitting on his rock. He landed next to Gonzo, his friends following close behind.

  “We’ve got some news for you,” he said gravely. “Spinner’s back.”

  Gonzo nodded his head, slowly. He didn’t look surprised.

  I wasn’t the only one who expected Spinner to return, Zap thought.

  “And he’s got squillions of other spiders with him,” said Lurch. “There’s spider poo everywhere.”

  “Look – it’s all around your rock,” said Crunch, inspecting the slab that Gonzo was sat on. “We’re in danger!”

  “If Spinner was going to attack us, he’d have done it by now,” said Gonzo, calmly. “He must be busy hatching his latest plan.”

  “What are we going to do?” asked Zap.

  Gonzo took a deep breath. “It’s time to end this feud. Ask all our insect friends to meet here when the sun is highest in the sky,” he replied. “I’m going to make the most important speech Spinner’s Wood has ever heard.”

  Zap and his friends spread the news about Gonzo’s meeting. They visited every friendly bug in the wood, from the earwigs on Rotten Row to the dragonflies over at Soggy Bog.

  Zap felt the sun beam down on his wings – it was already high in the sky.

  “We should head back,” he said, “or we’ll be the only ones not at the meeting!”

  Zap couldn’t believe his eyes as he flew into the clearing by Gonzo’s Rock. It was packed! Insects who were usually sworn enemies stood side by side, waiting to hear what Gonzo had to say.

  “I never thought I’d see Mac the caterpillar standing next to Stig the wasp,” said Lurch.

  “Me neither,” said Buzz. “They hate each other!”

  Zap found the last clear patch of ground for
them to land on. Buzz, Crunch and Lurch crawled to the front. Zap flew upwards, hovering above the crowd, as Gonzo hopped on to his rock. All eyes were on the grasshopper.

  “Friends,” said Gonzo. “I have bad news. Spinner has returned.”

  Zap watched rows of wings shudder with fright.

  “But,” continued Gonzo, “Spinner is now on his last chance. He must be challenged to a showdown. If he wins … then I will leave the wood forever …”

  “No!” shouted Zap.

  “… and let him rule,” finished the grasshopper.

  “Don’t do it, Gonzo!”

  “This can’t be happening!”

  Cries filled the clearing and Gonzo lifted his front legs in a plea for quiet.

  “If Spinner loses,” said the grasshopper, “then he must agree to be ruled by me and live peacefully among us. I wish I could be the one to fight this last battle, but I’m too old. So, one of you must step up to the challenge as my champion.”

  Zap’s antennae prickled with nerves as he looked around the crowd, waiting for some big courageous bug to raise his or her wing. But most of them looked at the ground, shuffling their legs.

  Zap sensed he was being watched. He turned to see the grasshopper gazing at him. Out of all the bugs here, he was the one Gonzo was looking at. Zap might be the smallest bug in the wood, but Gonzo often told him that he was the bravest.

  This is it, thought Zap. This is what he’s been training me for.

  Zap took a deep breath and flew up next to the grasshopper. “I’ll do it,” he said. “Even if I have to face Spinner alone.”

  The crowd gasped.

  “Thank you,” said Gonzo.

  Lurch scrambled up the rock, quickly followed by Buzz and Crunch.

  “You daft weevil,” said Lurch. “As if we’re going to let you do this by yourself!”

  “No chance,” said Crunch.

  The crowd began to cheer.

  “Bug Buddies are the best,” cried Willy the wasp beetle.

  “Spinner doesn’t stand a chance!” shouted Mazie the millipede.

  Zap felt proud to have such loyal friends. But he wondered whether the Bug Buddies had taken on too much this time.

  “What have I got us into?” he said to himself, as a group of ants crawled over to wish them good luck.

  After all, Spinner would do anything to become leader of the wood. Could they really stop him?

  When everyone had finished wishing them good luck, Zap turned to the other Bug Buddies.

  “We need to work out how we’re going to find Spinner,” he said. “We’ve flown all over the wood today and didn’t see him once.”

  “I’ll try my best to find his trail,” said Lurch. “But he and his spider friends have pooped everywhere!”

  Gonzo pointed towards the space in front of the crowd.

  “Say hello to my relatives,” he said, “the speckled bush crickets.”

  Zap watched as a group of bugs suddenly appeared and crawled up on to the rock. They had plump, grass-green bodies with a brown stripe down their backs. Their long, wispy antennae swayed in the breeze.

  “Pleased to meet you, sir,” said a cricket, lifting his front leg to salute Zap. “I’m Sergeant Stealth.”

  “The crickets can camouflage themselves, so they’re perfect detectives,” said Gonzo. “And detective skills are just what you need to find that spider.”

  “Great,” said Zap, smiling at the crickets. “The more help, the better.”

  Captain Drone, leader of the bees, flew forward. “My bees can safeguard the bugs from attack while you’re gone,” he said.

  Snap, the leader of the green tiger beetles, waved his legs from the back of the crowd. “And the tiger beetles will help too,” he called.

  “Thanks,” said Zap, pleased to know everyone was in safe hands. “OK, Bug Buddies, let’s go!”

  With cheers from the crowd, the Bug Buddies and the crickets headed off. Lurch led the way, hurriedly following the black spots through the grass. The bush crickets moved silently alongside the Bug Buddies.

  “I never thought I’d be following poo through the wood,” said Buzz, disgusted.

  “We’re honorary dung beetles for the day!” joked Zap.

  They were about to enter a patch of shrubs when Lurch stopped.

  “The trail has run dry,” he said. Then his antennae pricked up. “What’s that squeaking sound?”

  The crickets rushed into the shrubs to investigate, their camouflage making them instantly disappear.

  Zap and his friends glanced at each other, then waited patiently by the shrubs.

  It wasn’t long before Sergeant Stealth and the crickets returned, along with a group of baby mice. Their tiny, pink ears were almost hidden beneath their fluffy, white fur.

  “Tell them what you saw,” said Sergeant Stealth.

  “He was so b-b-big,” squeaked a tiny mouse.

  “Eyes as black as n-n-night,” squeaked another.

  “Sounds like Spinner!” exclaimed Crunch.

  “Perhaps it’s not such a good idea to find him,” said the smallest cricket, his antennae shaking.

  “We can’t turn back,” said Zap. “The future of the wood is at stake!”

  “He’s right,” said Sergeant Stealth. “Crickets never abandon a mission.”

  Sergeant Stealth and the other crickets pointed the baby mice back in the direction of their nest.

  “Er, where have they gone?” said Crunch, after a moment.

  Zap looked round, but the crickets were nowhere to be seen. Their camouflage was working too well. The Bug Buddies had lost the rest of their team.

  “Quick,” Zap said. “Spread out! Find which way they went.”

  Zap flew to the far end of the shrubs. He searched behind every plant and leaf. Suddenly, he felt a sharp tap on his shoulder. It wasn’t one of the Bug Buddies, because he could see them up ahead, searching in another patch of grass.

  Zap gulped. Had a nasty spider crept up behind him?

  Zap’s heart pounded as he slowly turned round. His wings drooped with relief when he saw the crickets standing behind him.

  “Thank goodness, it’s you!” Zap cried. “Where did you go?”

  “We were taking the baby mice back when we spotted some gossiping money spiders,” said Sergeant Stealth. “So, we sneaked up and listened in on their conversation. It was very interesting.”

  Buzz, Lurch and Crunch crawled over to join them.

  “Was Spinner there too?” asked Zap.

  “No,” said Sergeant Stealth. “But we found out where he’s hiding – Stinking Bog.”

  Zap shared a worried look with the Bug Buddies. Apart from Shadow Creek, Stinking Bog was the smelliest, scariest place in Spinner’s Wood.

  “But Gonzo has always told us to avoid the bog,” said Crunch, nervously.

  “I’m afraid we’ve got no choice,” said Zap.

  The smell almost knocked Zap over. “Now I know why it’s called Stinking Bog,” he said.

  It hadn’t taken the team of crickets and bugs long to get there. All they had to do was follow the pong …

  “It’s revolting!” said Buzz, his legs wobbling like he was going to faint.

  Crunch used his giant claw to waft the smell away from Buzz.

  “Mmm … it smells just like my breakfast!” said Lurch, smiling. “Yum!”

  “Yes,” cried Buzz. “But you eat poo!”

  “And I eat beetles!” cried a hissing voice from above.

  Zap looked up to see a thick strand of silk hanging from a branch. Lowering himself down on it was Spinner – looking bigger and meaner than ever.

  “The only question is,” said Spinner, “which one of you shall I eat first?”

  The giant spider landed on a rock in the middle of the bog, spreading out his thick hairy legs. Zap shivered. How could they take on this monster and win?

  Zap crawled forward, trying hard to stop his wings trembling.

  “Ah,” smiled Spi
nner, “are you volunteering to be the first inside my stomach?”

  “No,” said Zap, “I’m challenging you to a final showdown.”

  Spinner burst out laughing. “You what?!” he said.

  “This is your last chance,” continued Zap. “If we win, then you will promise to live by Gonzo’s rules and respect the life of every bug in Spinner’s Wood. But if you win … Gonzo has agreed to leave the wood forever.”

  Spinner immediately stopped laughing. His eyes lit up. “In that case,” Spinner said, “it will be my pleasure. But if you have friends to help you, it’s only fair that I do too.”

  Zap watched as hundreds of spiders crawled out from behind every rock in Stinking Bog.

  Everywhere he looked, beady eyes stared at him. They were surrounded!

  “We’re doomed!” cried Crunch.

  “There are enough of us to put up a fight,” said Zap, bravely. “Isn’t that right, Sergeant Stealth?”

  Zap turned to the crickets, but was shocked to see that they were no longer there.

  “Those cowardly crickets have crept off!” cried Buzz.

  “They’ve done their job in helping us to find Spinner,” said Zap. “It’s our job to take him on.”

  “But there’s only four of us. There are loads of them,” said Lurch. He pointed towards the swarm of spiders, flexing their legs.

  “Yes,” said Zap, standing as tall as he could. “But we’re the Bug Buddies. We’ve defeated Spinner before – we can do it again!”

  With Zap leading the way, the Bug Buddies crawled forward.

  A group of small spiders shot out strands of silk to trip them up.

  “Ouch!” cried Lurch, falling flat on his face.

  Zap zoomed into the air. “I’ll see to this lot,” he shouted down to the others. “You battle your way to Spinner.”