transfixed in shock as Kathy ran to Mitchell and kissed him on the cheek. Tiffany ran to pick the ball up and then threw in a perfect layup shot.
“Did you see that, Dad?” Tiffany asked.
“I did, sweetheart. Now let’s try that with someone guarding you.”
Tiffany took the ball and began to dribble toward her dad. She faked right and backed up slightly to assess her defender. Mitchell had never played organized basketball, but at six feet one inch, 215 pounds, he was a formidable defender. Tiffany grinned, bit her lip in determination, performed a perfect crossover dribble, switched the ball behind her back, and blazed toward the left-hand side of the basket. Mitchell followed and blocked her path while planting both feet firmly under the basket. Tiffany stepped back, squared off, and drained a clean ten-foot jumper.
“In your face, Dad!”
“You looked like your mother doing that shot, young lady. Good one,” Mitchell replied.
“Let’s go eat supper, guys. Everything should be ready in about twenty minutes,” Kathy said.
Michael took the ball and ran behind the three-point line. He drained a clean shot and peered over at his mother.
“Next time, Mom...next time.”
“Whenever, wherever, Michael...just bring it,” Kathy replied.
Tiffany grabbed the basketball and raced toward her father.
“Dad, we have got to do something about those ants! There are billions of them all over the kitchen!”
“Billions? You counted them, sweetheart?” Mitchell replied.
“You know what I mean, Dad! They’re everywhere! We gotta get some kinda exterminator or something in here to kill them.”
Mitchell paused for a moment as they walked toward the house. He looked up the hill toward a large crepe myrtle tree that grew near the edge of the driveway.
“Before we talk about killing all the ants, let me show you something. Come with me, Tiffany. Michael, you are welcome to come along if you wish.”
Both children knew the look on their father’s face. He was about to show them something. They never quite knew what, but they knew it was going to be different, and very, very weird.
Mitchell led the children up the hill to the crepe myrtle tree. Kathy went into the house to finish preparing supper. She had a good idea what the children were about to see.
The children saw a large, conical object attached to the north side of the crepe myrtle. The object was about three to four feet long and about two feet wide. It was made of a material that appeared to be an amalgamation of paper, sawdust, and wood. The material had been laid down in a layered spiral pattern. As they neared the object, the children could hear a loud buzzing emanating from its center.
“What is that, Dad?” Michael asked.
“It’s a white-faced hornet’s nest. I just spotted it a couple of days ago. Don’t get too close. These hornets are very aggressive and there are likely to be thousands of them in that nest.”
Tiffany stepped back from the nest and placed her hands over her mouth in shock. Michael stood transfixed in awe.
“How did we not see this?” Tiffany shouted.
“They must have built this some time ago. Let me show you why I brought you here. And no, Tiffany, we are not going to call the exterminator,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell calmly held his hand out over the nest. He projected a cool beam of blue light into the center of the hive. The children had not developed significant vision at this point. All they could see was their father holding his hand out over a large hornet’s nest.
Mitchell then recited an ancient Aramaic prayer over the nest. The prayer was over 2,800 years old and held the secret to the 42-letter Name of God. All creatures in creation knew the energy of the prayer and obeyed any command accompanying its use.
A-na B’cho-ach
gdu-lat y’min-cha ta-tir
tze-ru-ra
Ka-bel ri-nat am-cha,
sag-vei-nu, ta-ha-rei-nu no-ra
Na gi-bor,
dor-shei yi-chud-cha,
k’va-vat sham-rem
Bar-chem ta-ha-rem ra-cha-mem,
tzid-kat-cha ta-mid gam-lem
Cha-sin ka-dosh b’rov tu-cha,
na-hel a-da-te-cha
Ya-chid ge-eh
l’am-cha p’neh,
zoch-rei k’du-sha-te-cha
Shav-a-tei-nu ka-bel,
ush’ma tza-a-ka-tei-nu,
yo-de-ah ta-a-lu-mot.
As he spoke, invisible fingers of golden energy filled the nest. A couple of sentinel hornets emerged from the nest to investigate the disturbance, but they remained calm and unalarmed. None of the normally aggressive hornets approached Mitchell or the children.
Mitchell then addressed the nest in English.
“My name is Dr. Mitchell Earl Gibson. I am the current owner of this property and I come to you in peace.”
Michael and Tiffany looked at their father in total disbelief.
“Dad, do you think they understand you?” Michael asked.
“Yes, Michael, they do. Now, give me a moment to show you why we’re here.”
A giant sentinel hornet emerged from the nest and gathered three equally large guards to accompany him. The hornets crawled to the lower tip of the cone and sat motionless. They seemed to be listening intently to Mitchell’s words.
In his mind, Mitchell could clearly hear the words of the queen hidden deep within the nest. The sentinels and the guards were her eyes and ears. She alone, however, spoke as the voice of the nest.
“I hear you, One Who Speaks the Name.”
Mitchell knew instantly that he had gotten the queen’s attention. He decided to continue in English and to direct his thoughts toward her.
“I come in peace, Great One. Your presence in this place will bring danger to my children and to the humans who live near this land. I ask that you move your people to another tree nearby. There are many for you to choose from.”
“We have chosen this tree, One Who Speaks the Name.”
“It is my desire to resolve this matter with you peacefully. I will personally guarantee your safety in transfer. I will ask
