Stay Out of the Corn Bin

                                    STAY OUT OF THE CORN BIN!
                                            By Dianne Schoening

         Have you ever done something you knew you should not have and then later wished that you had listened? Well I did and let me tell you, it was terribly painful! Sometimes you really should listen when your parents tell you the same thing over and over again-but you just do not hear it. Well that is exactly what happened to me. I want to tell you about a time when I really should have listened! We were going to visit my Cousin Emily ...



         "Kids, we're going to visit your Cousin Emily today," mom said.  There
were four of us kids - my two younger brothers Derek and Peter, my older sister
Brittany and me (Penelope). We live on a small farm out in the country (with our
parents of course).
         "Oh boy!" I said. "Emily is a lot of fun to play with.
Will any one else be there?"
         "I think so," answered mom, "but you kids must remember not to play in the corn bin."
         "It would be a good place to hide in, if we played hide-n-seek!" I mumbled.
         "Penelope!"
         "Yes Mom," I sighed.
         "Do you know why we don't want you to play in the corn bin?"
         "You don't want us to get hurt or stung by the Yellow Jackets that like to build nests in the corn bin." I answered in a kind of singsong voice.  I've heard this so many times, every time we visit Cousin Emily, mom says 'Stay out of the Corn Bin!' "Is it ok if we play hide-n-seek?"
         "Of course you may play hide-n-seek. There are many other places to hide."
         "Ok, Brittany can be it 'cause she's the oldest. I hope everyone wants to play."
         "Why don't you help me get the food ready to go?" asked mom.
         I always helped get everything ready to go. Each of the families brought enough for their family and one or two more. That way everyone had enough and we didn't run out of food.
         Emily and her family lived in the country too, in a small house with a big yard to play in and lots of room for vegetable gardens. The corn bin was in the back part of the yard, away from the house, and this was where the corn is stored. It wasn't very big, and it sat up high on blocks to keep the animals out. Some things were kept out - but, oh my, not everything!
         "Hi, Emily," I said as my family got out of the car.
         "Hi, Brittany.  Hi, Derek.  Hi, Peter." Emily laughed. She was happy to see us. "Hi, Penelope."
         "What are we going to play?" asked Derek.
         "Let's play Hide-N-Seek," I exclaimed, "but first, lets help get the food in the house. If everyone takes something we only have to make one trip."
         "Brittany will you be "IT"?" everyone asked.
         "1...2...3. . ." Brittany hid her eyes and counted as everyone scattered. There were a lot of hiding places to choose from -- trees, bushes and  . . . the corn bin.
         "Derek, let's hide in the corn bin." I said, I thought this would be the perfect place to hide. There were knotholes in the walls to see out and watch as Brittany hunted for us.
         "Mom said we couldn't play in the corn bin!"
         "Oh! But it's such a good place to hide!  If we are very quite we won't be found and no one will know that we hid in the corn bin!" I said.
         "Ok, but if mom finds out, she's gonna be mad!"
         "She won't find out 'cause we'll be really quite."
         Inside the corn bin were piles and piles of golden ears of corn still in their husks.  I can still smell them. The inside was dark and shadowy. I didn't look around to see what else might be in the corn bin - I was in a hurry to hide and find the knotholes.
         Derek and I stumbled and fell on all the corn and tried not to laugh very loud. We couldn't see well but I finally found a place I could look out.
         "Here's a knothole!" I exclaimed. As I pressed my eye up to it, I also pressed my head into a . . .GIANT YELLOW JACKETS NEST! I didn't look out the knothole very long because almost instantly the yellow jackets were all over me. I screamed and I cried! I stumbled on all the corn trying to find my way out of this "great" hiding place.
         The Yellow Jackets flew all over my face, into my long hair, stinging and stinging! They attacked faster than I could brush them off! Derek tried to help me but he was afraid of being stung too.
         "I told you we shouldn't be in here!" Derek screamed at me.
         "Just open the door and let me out!" I yelled as I jumped out of the corn bin and ran past Derek. The Yellow Jackets were still following me and stinging!
         As I ran I saw Cousin Emily's swimming pool.  I jumped into the pool and covered myself completely with the water. Holding my breath as long as possible under the water, I slowly raised my head up, looking around for the yellow jackets and they were gone. Then I saw the kids running to me, and knew I was in trouble. If Brittany, who was the oldest, told mom. . .
         "What happened?" asked Brittany running to me.
         "We were in the corn . . . "
         "You're not supposed to be in the corn bin!" interrupted Emily.
         "I wanted to hide in the corn bin and I didn't think any thing would happen!" I said hurriedly.
         "Derek, you knew you were not supposed to be in the corn bin," Brittany said.
         "It's not anyone's fault but mine. I convinced him it would be ok," I said.
         "Well what are you going to do now?" asked Brittany.
         "I need something to put on these stings," I said, "And, - I need you not to tell mom!"
         "Mom should help you put something on the stings and after one look at you, she's gonna know!" Brittany said.
         "And my mom and dad are going to be mad you were in the corn bin," Emily said.
         "I know, everyone is going to be mad at me.  Help me count how many stings I have.  If I don't have too many, maybe we don't have to say anything at all." I said.
         "These are really red Penelope," Emily said as she was counting the stings on my arms and back, "They look like giant red polka dots!"
         "You do have a lot of stings," Brittany said, she was counting stings on my legs and feet.
         Counting the stings on my face and head, Derek was looking frightened. "Mom's gonna know," he said.
         "All together we counted at least 15 maybe more," Brittany said.
         "I have six stings on this one finger and it is getting bigger and it hurts. Do you remember Dad telling us about Indians? They used to use mud a lot," I said, "Let's put some mud on my stings to see if it helps and maybe mom won't see how many stings I really have."
         They were doubtful about the mud, but they didn't want me to get in trouble. So we poured some water from the pool into a pail with dirt and made a pail full of mud!          Brittany, Emily and Derek took handfuls of the mud and plastered all of my stings.
         "You look like you played in a mud puddle!" Emily said laughing. "How does it feel now?"
         "I feel stiff, and it's hard to move," I said and as I looked up mom was coming toward us. "Oh no! Mom's coming!"
         "What happened? Why are you covered in mud?" asked mom when she saw me.  She looked around at the rest of the kids and they were all a little muddy, but not like me.  "Ok, out with it, what's going on?"
         "I put my head in a Yellow Jackets nest!" I said, "and I got a few stings."
         "Where was this Yellow Jackets nest?"
         I hung my head and did not answer right away. Mom asked me again.
         "Where was this Yellow Jackets nest, Penelope?"
         "The corn bin." I said in a very low voice with my head still hanging down.
         "Where?"
         "We were playing hide-n-seek, I went into the corn bin to hide and put my head in the nest."
         "You were told not to play in the corn bin weren't you?"
         "Yes ma'am, but I thought if I was careful nothing would happen.  We put mud on the stings and they do feel better, they don't hurt as much."
"Let me look at you. You know that you are all in trouble?"
         Mom was looking at all the kids including me.  You could tell she was upset, but I did not want my brother and sister or Emily to get in trouble for what I did.
         "Mom, it was my idea, no one else's and they helped me to put the mud on the stings."
         "I am going to make a paste of baking soda, like Grandma used, to put on your stings, it will help the swelling."
         "Mom, we already put mud medicine on the stings and they are feeling better."
         "All right, but come on up to the house now."
         "Yes ma'am," I said as the kids went with me to the house. I hoped they were not in trouble too.  When we got to the house mom went into the kitchen to get some medicine.
         "I know that you took care of your stings but I want you to drink this," she said.
         "It's all fizzy and it tickles my nose."
         "It will help block the Yellow Jacket poison in your body," said mom, "and you should rest for awhile."
         "Oh Mom, do I have to?"
         "Yes, you do.  Brittany, you kids can go play."
         "Thanks mom," Brittany said.
         "Mom I want to play too!"  I cried.
         "Well maybe next time we visit you will remember to stay out of the corn bin!"  Mom said.
         Uncle Jess had gone to the corn bin to check things out and to take care of the Yellow Jackets, while mom had been talking to me, and he brought the nest back and gave it to us.
         "I thought you might like to see this," Uncle Jess said as he handed me the yellow jackets nest.
         "It's a big nest and it had a lot of Yellow Jackets!  I sure made them mad!  I thought the corn bin would be a good place to hide, now I understand why you always said no."
         "I'm sorry you were stung, but I'm glad you understand," said mom as she gave me a hug.
         "What are you going to do with the nest?" Mom asked me.
         And I told her "I'm going to keep the nest to remind me to --
                             STAY OUT OF THE CORN BIN!"