The garden behind the house was buzzing and fragrant today, just like in the most beautiful dream. The sun was just right, and Philip and Jane were chasing a rainbow-colored butterfly that danced from flower to flower. “I’ve got him!” laughed Philip, as the butterfly settled on a large yellow dandelion. He carefully approached it, wanting to count the dots on its wings. One, two, three... “Look, Philip! Here’s an even prettier flower!” called Jane, pointing to a cluster of pink flowers that looked like little bells. She carefully reached out her hand to touch one.
Just then, there was a loud “Bzzz!” followed immediately by a sharp sting. “Ow!” cried Jane, quickly pulling her hand back. A small red dot appeared on the back of it, right near her fingers. Two big tears rolled from her eyes. Philip ran right up to her. “What happened?” “Something stung me,” Jane whimpered, showing him the sore spot. “A bee, I think. I just wanted to stroke the little flower.” Philip scowled like a storm cloud. “Don’t worry, I’ll heal you! I know what’s needed for this.” He ran to the edge of the lawn, where large green plantain leaves grew. He plucked one and placed it on Jane’s hand. “Grandma says this always helps. It cools and it heals.”
Jane wiped away her tears and looked hopefully at the green leaf on her hand. For a moment, it really did feel pleasantly cool. But the pain didn’t stop. And then something strange happened. The area around the dot began to grow. First it was the size of a small coin. Then a large coin. And suddenly, it seemed as if Jane’s whole hand was somehow bigger. “Philip, look,” Jane whispered, showing him her hand. The skin was tight and red. “This is strange. It’s itchy and it feels like a balloon.” Philip examined her hand, comparing it to his own. Jane’s was indeed much thicker. “Maybe the leaf wasn’t strong enough,” he mused. “Let’s try again!” He was about to run for another one, but Jane stopped him. “I’m having a little trouble breathing, too,” she said in a quiet voice and sat down in the grass. “And the whole world is spinning.”
At that moment, from under the raspberry bush, their old friend, Prickles the hedgehog, rolled out. He surveyed them with his small black eyes. He saw Jane’s swollen hand and her frightened face. “Children, what’s going on here?” he asked in his deep, slightly prickly voice. “A bee stung Jane and her hand has swollen up a lot,” Philip explained. “I tried putting a leaf on it, but it’s not helping.” Prickles the hedgehog slowly came closer and gravely inspected the swollen little hand. He shook his head. “Philip, you are a good brother for trying to help. But this is no ordinary sting. Look, the swelling is too big and too fast. And when Jane says she’s having trouble breathing, we must act immediately.” The hedgehog looked Philip straight in the eye. “Leaves are fine for little scratches. But they are not enough for this. This is an allergy. It means Jane’s body is fighting the bee’s venom too strongly. And at a time like this, there is only one right thing to do.” “What is it?” the children asked almost at once. “Call an adult immediately! Mommy or Daddy. No waiting. No other experiments. Speed is the most important invention in the world right now. Run, Philip!”
Philip understood. The serious tone of Prickles the hedgehog left no room for even a second of hesitation. He shot off like an arrow and, running across the garden, shouted at the top of his lungs: “Mommy! Daddy! Quick, something’s happened to Jane!” The terrace doors flew open and Mommy ran out. When she saw Jane sitting in the grass with a big, red hand, she didn't lose her calm for a moment. She knelt beside her. “Sweetheart, show me,” she said gently. She looked at the hand and then asked: “How do you feel? Is your head spinning? Does anything else itch?” Jane just nodded weakly. “My tongue, too.” Mommy immediately lifted her into her arms. “Don’t worry, everything will be all right. You’re having a strong allergic reaction. Philip, you were wonderful for calling me so quickly. That was the best thing you could have done.” On the way into the house, Mommy explained: “An allergy is when our body fights something it doesn't agree with, like venom from an insect. And sometimes it fights so hard that it starts to harm itself. That's why we need help quickly.” Once inside, she gave Jane a small spoonful of syrup and a cold compress for her hand. Then she picked up the phone and called the doctor to tell her exactly what had happened.
An hour later, Jane was sitting on the couch, wrapped in a blanket. The swelling on her hand was much smaller, and she was breathing perfectly easily again. Philip sat beside her, offering her pieces of apple. Mommy stroked both of their heads. “Today, you learned something very important. Experiments are great when we’re building a tower of blocks or mixing colors. But when it comes to health and something unexpected and fast happens, like this big swelling, the best experiment is not to experiment. The greatest heroism is to call an adult immediately.” Philip smiled. “So I was a hero today?” “The very greatest,” Mommy confirmed. “Because you knew when it was time to ask for help. And that is a sign of great wisdom.” Jane smiled at her brother and squeezed his hand tightly with her own, which already looked almost normal. And they both knew that even though bees have an important job to do, from now on they would admire the flowers with even greater caution. And if something similar ever happened to a friend on the playground, they would know exactly what to do. They wouldn't look for leaves, but for adults. Because that is the fastest and best help of all.