Dear Diary,

Today was such a beautiful day, I thought it would be the perfect time to enjoy one last picnic before the weather turns too chilly. I reached out to my good friends, Molly the Mouse and Charlie the Chipmunk, to see if they were up for it. With the mornings getting cooler, I knew it wouldn’t be long before the cold took over the whole day, so this might be our last chance to enjoy the sunshine together by the river. Both Molly and Charlie loved the idea, so we all agreed to meet at the edge of the meadow, near the riverbank where the sun still shone through without the trees blocking it.

Charlie was excited to share the chestnuts he’d been gathering all week to store for the winter. They were delicious, and we couldn’t stop munching on them! But just as we were getting comfortable, we noticed a little problem – we had settled in the middle of an army of black ants. They swarmed around us in no time, making it impossible to relax. So, we quickly gathered up our picnic blanket and all our supplies and decided to move farther down the riverbank to find a better spot.

We thought we had found the perfect place to continue our picnic when suddenly Charlie pointed out something alarming – a massive hive of bees was hanging right above Molly’s head! We all froze for a moment, not wanting to make any sudden movements. Molly, unaware at first, looked up slowly, and her eyes widened when she saw the buzzing hive.

You can learn much more about Benny and his Whispering Woods friends while reading their exciting adventure stories at:

You can learn much more about Benny and his Whispering Woods friends while reading their exciting adventure stories at:

https://bennysbraveadventures.com

Sing their songs, too:

youtube.com/@bennysbraveadventures

Read their books:

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=hong+z+mccormickm

“We better get out of here before they notice us!” I whispered, trying to stay as calm as possible. We carefully packed up everything once again, moving as quietly as we could. But just as we were about to sneak away, one bee came down to investigate..

After spotting the beehive, we all agreed that moving a third time didn’t make much sense. So, instead of risking another misadventure, we decided to cut our picnic short and head home. Even though the picnic didn’t go as planned, we were all happy to see each other and catch up. We promised to make plans soon to try it again before winter fully settles in. At least I got to enjoy those tasty chestnuts Charlie brought—definitely a highlight!

Now that I’m back home, I’m excited to get back to my writing. I’m getting so close to finishing my next book, and I can’t wait to see how it all turns out. There’s something about these peaceful moments with friends that really sparks creativity.

Until next time!
—Benny