Billy Bumblebug and the Honey
 by
J L Rees

In a tiny town set in a valley of green rolling hills lived a Halfling named Billy Bumblebug.

One day he sat by the window watching the birds swooping down into the flowers and back up to the branches in the trees above when a big bee buzzed and bumbled its way through the window and landed on Billy's nose.

Billy shrieked and the bee flew away with a buzz buzz buzz.

That reminds me, he said to himself I need to take a pot of honey to my aunt's house.

With the honeypot under his arm, he tottered off down his garden path and onto the road to his aunt's house.

Along the road, Billy came across a goblin.
"Hello", said the goblin, "what have you got under your arm?"
"It's a pot of delicious honey that I'm delivering to my aunt," replied Billy.

"Can I have some", the goblin asked.

"I'm afraid not. I'll be in trouble with my aunt if I give any away," said Billy.

The goblin pointed up to a flower on the top of a nearby hill and said

"I need your help can you go and fetch me that flower? I will mind your pot of honey for you."

wanting to help the goblin Billy agreed to fetch the flower for the goblin.

When Billy returned with the flower, he found that the goblin had gone and so was his pot of honey. All that was left was a piece of paper with some writing on it.

Billy was upset and started to cry.
"what am I going to do?" he cried.

Just then a guard walked past him and asked
"What seems to be the problem?"

Billy told the guard what had happened.
"I will find the goblin and get the honey pot back. What is written on the piece of paper?" the guard said.

What has many ears but cannot hear?

"I wonder what that means?" The guard said with a puzzled look on his face. "Ah! I got it. A cornfield. Maybe the goblin has left it in a cornfield, there's one just down the road."

Billy and the guard walked to the cornfield and found the goblin eating the honey.

The guard then arrested the goblin and took him to jail. But first Billy, the guard and the goblin went to Billy's aunt and told her all about what had happened.

Billy's aunt said it was okay and it wasn't Billy's fault.
then she brought out cakes and biscuits and crisps and juice for them all to eat and drink but the goblin wasn't allowed any for being bad.