When I finished penning Steelbound and Keeper’s Judgment, I turned my attention to this month’s Sebastian & Jimmy tale. After writing fourteen of these Abbott & Costello inspired comedies, I found myself eager to keep exploring the dynamic between these two characters. Much like the duo that inspired them, some of these stories lean fully into the absurd, but the characters themselves remain consistent, at least, that’s my goal. For this entry, I once again reached for my story cubes and gave them a toss. The results directed me to use an alien (at least I thought it was), a bonfire, and a bee. With that odd combination in hand, I started digging for a story that felt playful and fitting. A few days later, the first draft finally seeped through my fingers, and I couldn’t help but grin.
Some evenings are meant to be quiet. You light a fire, settle in, and let the world slow beneath a starlit sky. As the flames crackle and pop, the nearby forest grows still, and the night stretches wide beneath stars that refuse to ask questions. These are the moments that invite reflection, routine, and the small comforts earned by stepping away from the noise of everyday life, even if only for a little while.
For Sebastian and Jimmy, such moments rarely remain simple. Calm has a way of slipping through their fingers, not because it resists them, but because one of them inevitably notices something the other would rather ignore. What begins as a familiar ritual quickly turns into a test of patience, interpretation, and whether certain things are better left unexamined.
This tale explores what happens when the ordinary is mistaken for the important, and when the important arrives without explanation. It is a story about authority assumed, roles assigned, and how even the smallest presence can carry unexpected weight when the night is listening.
“Jimmy, come join me for the evening bonfire.” Sebastian tossed another log onto the roaring fire. He grabbed a slender stick and stuck the blackened end into the blaze to push the coals about. Sebastian withdrew his improvised poker and after he ensured it wasn’t burning, dropped into his seat and extended his hands to the dancing flames. He rubbed his warming fingers together when a scream tore through the star-dotted sky.
With a groan, Sebastian turned to find Jimmy running through their campsite, screaming with every stride. The sound escaping his lips embodied Jimmy’s commitment to flight. His arms flailed as he streaked across the site. He was sprinting around their tents, seeking dignity.
“Don’t move!” Jimmy slid as if trying to steal home plate with the catcher perched above it, waiting for the ball. His slide came to a stop behind Sebastian. He hopped to his feet, hands flailing. “It knows where we are and is ready to attack us!”
Sebastian plucked his blackened stick and stuck it into the fire’s base, rearranging the coals. With each nudge, sparks burst into the sky before fading. “If that’s true, whatever it is, it’s being very polite about our impending assault.”
“It’s circling!” Jimmy’s arms ceased their rapid movement, and he clutched his friend’s coat and pulled him closer, the whites of his eyes showing fully. “It’s judging me!”
Sebastian sighed, and after he batted Jimmy’s hands off him, he glanced up and found the source of the sudden buzz. He grabbed Jimmy and forced him into the other chair. Sebastian retrieved the stick and resumed tending the fire. “Jimmy, that isn’t an attacker. You found a bee. If you leave it alone, it won’t bother you.”
“That’s what it wants you to assume,” Jimmy said as he watched the bee circle the flames. The bonfire crackled, throwing orange light across the clearing. Aside from the intensifying buzz, only the crackling fire battled it. Jimmy slapped at the air over the dancing flame, missing the bee. Then he turned toward Sebastian and froze.
“Why is it hovering?”
“Because you’re waving as if you’re a malfunctioning windmill.” Sebastian shoved the stick into the coals, causing the pile to shift and collapse. A bright burst of sparks erupted from the flames like a volcano spewing lava.
Before Jimmy could respond, the constant buzz transformed into a low, steady hum. Jimmy inched closer to his friend and nudged Sebastian. A green glow seeped between the trees as something tall stepped into the clearing, its skin luminescent, its limbs too long in places that mattered. Jimmy inhaled and gripped his friend’s shoulder with white fingers. “Sebastian, can you see that?”
“What?”
Jimmy turned his friend around and forced him to look at the strange silhouette. “We’re being audited by space.”
The figure raised a hand. “Greetings, keepers of the flame.”
Jimmy collapsed to his knees. His vice-like grip on Sebastian’s shoulder was the only thing that kept him from falling face-first into the ground. “Is a talking alien a positive sign? If not, we should bolt.”
Sebastian pried his friend’s fingers off him. He popped off his chair and inched closer to the visitor, wringing his hands together. “You’re… you’re not from around here, are you?”
“No,” the alien replied. It reached out, pointing at the dancing flames, as its head cocked to the side. “We detected a ritual flame.”
“It’s only our campfire,” Jimmy said, clambering to his feet.
The alien’s slender finger drifted from the fire to Jimmy’s chest. “We also discovered its guardian.”
Just then, the bee settled on Jimmy’s hat. Under the weight of the bee and the strange finger, Jimmy’s knees wobbled. “Sebastian, I’m under assault. Don’t breathe. If I die, tell my socks I tried.”
The alien stepped closer as it straightened its head. “The buzzing sentinel has selected the leader.”
Sebastian’s eyes fluttered between the bee and the alien. He moved to the side and brought his wringing hands to his chest. “And what has the bee chosen him for?”
“Keeper of the Flame,” the alien said, inclining its body. “Will you speak for the striped ones, or bees as your attendant calls them?”
Jimmy’s eyes rolled up, looking for the bee perched atop his hat. “I don’t talk buzz.”
The bee leapt into the air, and its buzzing intensified.
“That sounded a little disappointed.” Jimmy dropped back onto his butt and scrambled toward the flames. As the smoke enveloped him, he coughed.
“As you say, speaker for the bees.” The alien pressed its palms together in front of its chest and bowed. “It protects fire and chooses worthy champions.”
Sebastian scratched behind an ear as he stared at the alien. “You selected Jimmy because the bee landed on his hat?”
The alien nodded as he turned around and walked back into the forest, the green glow dimming into the trees. “We will return. In the meantime, you must feed the guardian and tend the flames.”
With a flash of emerald light, the night resumed its natural soundtrack. As the crackling filled the campsite, the bee lifted off Jimmy’s hat and drifted away. He climbed to his unsteady legs, dusting the dirt from his pants. “I hate camping.”
Sebastian shook his head and hustled back into his seat. He reclaimed the stick and prodded the fire. “At least you made a great first impression with the aliens. Not that anyone will ever believe you.”
Jimmy dropped into his chair and thumped his chest with a thumb. “It selected me under duress.”
“That’s how most leadership starts,” Sebastian said with a laugh.
Jimmy shoved his hands into his pockets and sank into the seat as he studied the dancing flames. “Next trip, we’ll find a hotel and relax inside.”
Sebastian smiled as more sparks flew into the air. “That, or you just don’t wave at wildlife.”
When the bonfire popped, a loud buzz whipped past Jimmy’s head. His eyes widened as he raced toward his tent. “Not again!”