Chapter 7: Berkeley Beetle and the Beetle Ball
As the baby jitterbugs helped Thumbelina and Poppy find their way home, the mouse girl and the tiny girl both hummed a tune from Jacquimo's song. However, little did they know that they went past Thumbelina's house as they continued to journey through the tall grass.
"Look out!" Baby Bug cried out in fear as she and the other jitterbugs hid from the oncoming stranger.
"Ha, ha!" a tall black beetle jumped in front of Thumbelina and Poppy, frightening them.
"Ah!" screamed the girls.
The beetle was slender with light blue skin, long, thin mustache, black hair, white eyeballs with black eyes, black and white top with a gold button, purple outfit, blue and black striped pants, black and white spats, and blue and orange wings with a purple interior, resembling a cape. Thus, he carried a gold cane.
The beetle continued to laugh as he went face to face with the two girls. "Hiya, toots! Beetle's my name and Razzmatazz is my game. How do you do? Everything okay?" He slid up to them and tickled their faces with his antennae.
"We're not your toots!" Thumbelina replied, pushing off his antennae.
"Yeah, personal space, sir!" Poppy said.
"Where did you come from?" Thumbelina asked the beetle.
"Where? Up there!" the beetle replied cheerfully as he pointed up to the sky and did a spin to lean on a nearby toadstool. "I'm a connoisseur of sweet nectars, a designer of rare threads, and a judge of beautiful women." He grabbed both teens by the waist as he spun them around, adding, "And you are beeauitiful, Miss…?"
"Um, uh, Thumbelina," Thumbelina answered as she and Poppy both slapped away the antennae from their faces. "And Poppy and I are going home."
The two began to walk away when he zoomed into their way. "What's your hurry, toots? Relax. Take a load off." He then tickled their faces with his antennae.
"Ugh! I wish you wouldn't do that!" Thumbelina said with annoyance.
"Yeah, stop it, Beetle!" Poppy admonished.
"Perhaps you ladies would prefer this?" The beetle then grabbed onto Thumbelina's wrist and kissed up to her arm.
"Ah!" Thumbelina cried. "Mr. Beetle! I don't even know you! Would you stop?"
"Stop? How can I stop?" Mr. Beetle cried dramatically as he continued to kiss her arm. "I'm crazy about you, toots! You're gorgeous!" He then kissed Poppy's arm, but it resulted in her pushing his hand to his face, causing him to kiss his own hand, instead.
Poppy smirked as she watched him now kissing his hand and she and Thumbelina giggled.
"Oh, you're exciting! Delicious!" the beetle exclaimed.
"We are?" Thumbelina said, unaware that he was talking to himself.
"And I LOVE the sound of your voice!"
"Our voi-" Thumbelina tried to say.
"Don't talk!" the beetle snapped and his tone turned cheerful, adding, "Sing. Sing to me."
There was a small silence between the trio, but the tiny girl began to sing as she looked at the blue beetle.
I have an idea:
Can you fly us up there?
She pointed to a tall oak tree high above them.
"Um, why should I, toots?"
"Well, from the treetops, we could see my house. Then we'd know if we're traveling in the right direction to get home."
"Exactly," Poppy pointed out, "Besides, her mother is awfully worried about her."
"Gee, I don't know," the beetle replied hesitantly, "That would be a big, big, oh, very big favor."
Poppy:
We'll sing.
Thumbelina:
We'll sing for you.
"No, no. You'll sing at the Beetle Ball…and dance!" Without bothering to let them say anything, he unceremoniously threw both girls over his shoulders and flew them up to the Beetle Caves.
"Ha! Ha! We're gonna be the talk of the town, toots!"
"We're not your toots!" Poppy and Thumbelina retorted.
"And we don't even look like beetles!" Thumbelina added as they disappeared into the caves.
Below them, the jitterbug children escaped from their hiding place.
"Come on," Lil Bee told his friends, "Let's get help."
…
In front of the Beetle Cave were shiny golden rocks with the logo "Beetle Ballroom" shining in blue like neon lights and jazz music was playing from inside.
Inside the cave, beetles both big and small nodded to the beat as the entertainers danced and drums played in the center of the room.
In the middle, stood Thumbelina in a flashy butterfly costume. Her gown was white with blue, red, orange, and yellow and her hat was blue with white antennas and her wings were a mix of yellow, orange, red, blue, and white.
Poppy stood beside Thumbelina in a flashy ladybug costume. Her hat was black with antennas sticking out and her dress was red with black dots.
"Ladies and gentlebugs," an announcer's voice rang out offscreen, "Berkeley Beetle proudly presents Thumbelina aaaaand Poppy!"
The two girls waved happily at the audience as the said beetle jumped up on stage and started to dance with four beetles that resembled him, but were dressed in white.
Berkeley Beetle started to sing.
Baby, it's the Beetle Ball
And bugs are crawling to get in.
When they hear that beetle beat,
Their feet'll start to spin
And how to cheer,
For you my dear!
Yer beautiful baby!
Poppy and Thumbelina smiled in praise. Then the beetles in white started to sing back up to Thumbelina.
Oh, my little butterfly,
You flutter by at each romance.
Every chance to dance with you,
Puts the ants back in my pants!
Berkeley Beetle shouted "wow" in a loud voice at the catchy lyrics and the beetles turned to Poppy.
Let's cut a rug,
My ladybug.
To both, the backup singers added:
Yer beautiful baby.
Berkeley Beetle wrapped each girl's arm around his own and got down on his knees as he continued his song.
I get a flash when I have you on my wing.
You tie my antennae in a knot.
To get his point across, his top hat came off as his antennae was tied in a knot.
Now the room's reeling
And I'm feeling
So hot hot hot hot hot hot hot hot
Hot to trot!
He frightened the poor girls away, but he chased after them, showing them, he meant no harm.
"Let's dance, baby!" he said as he did his silly dance moves.
"Aren't they beautiful?" a green bug in blue commented.
"Just adorable, darling," a white bug in a mint green dress said, gazing through the opera glasses.
"What a piece of work," a gray beetle with three eyes said.
"Will you look at them?" said the waiter.
The three-eyed beetle's date glared at him. "Hmm!"
"Okay, toots! Let's wing it!" Berkeley Beetle said to Thumbelina as he started to spin her around.
"I-I can't wing it! I don't have any wings! I'm getting dizzy!" Thumbelina protested, only for him to spin her around in deaf ears.
Poppy did her best to pull him away from her friend, only for her to fall to the ground.
What horrified her more was Thumbelina's butterfly costume disappeared and was wearing her red underclothes with a black waist, black trimmings on her pants, a red headband, and yellow shoes.
"Eww!" the crowd and the backup singers cried in disgust at the tiny girl's display and they started to jeer and laugh at her, causing her to shrink lower.
Ha ha ha ha!
He he he he!
Ho ho ho ho!
She she she she she's so so so so
That bug is a dog!
"My, my!" Thumbelina continued to dance with a smile on her face.
"Unattractive!" the portly beetle said.
"The word, my dear, is 'ugly'," the female beetle in a blue dress corrected.
"She's so ugly, she's hurting my feelings!" a beetle shouted from the audience. "I hope it ain't catching!"
"Disgraceful!" another one added.
The beetles in white continued to sing, but in a mocking manner.
Would you look at that?
She ain't got no wings!
Good gracious, me,
What are those things?
Thumbelina stopped dancing as she frowned in embarrassment in confusion from the bullying.
She ain't got no feelers!
Crowd in the audience:
No feelers!
Beetle group in white:
She ain't got no shell!
Do tell!
She's got scrawny legs
And knobby legs!
For all we know,
This gal's got fleas!
She can't even fly.
No, that won't do!
Berkeley Beetle frowned in annoyance, while Poppy gave him a pleading look, hoping he'd defend her friend, but to her dismay he let them continue picking on Thumbelina.
So, say goodbye,
She's not for you!
"I'm sorry, toots!" Berkeley Beetle said, annoyed that his fame was at risk, "I guess you're too-"
"Ugly!" the other beetles concluded the song as Berkeley hit Thumbelina's rear end with his cane.
Thumbelina gasped in shock by what just happened as she raised her hands behind her head.
"Don't worry, you'll get over me," Berkeley Beetle said in a phony sympathetic tone before tipping his hat.
"I'm ugly?" Thumbelina repeated as she looked like she was about to cry over the humiliation.
Poppy, on the other hand, removed her ladybug costume, now revealing her yellow underclothes with a white waist and trimmings on the bottom of her pants, black shoes, and a yellow hair bow tied around her hair in a ponytail. She glared at the man, who assaulted her best friend.
"Hey, toots! Where's your costume?" Berkeley Beetle demanded of Poppy.
The crowd gasped in shock.
"Another ugly girl!" one remarked.
"Yeah, she's not even a bug!" another one shouted.
"You mess with my best friend, Berkeley Beetle, you mess with ME!" Poppy retorted.
Berkeley Beetle looked like he was about to hit her with his cane, but she kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying against the wall.
The beetle had stars swirling around his head.
"Don't worry, you'll get over me," Poppy sneered, "So let that be a lesson to you." She flipped her hair at him before walking away to comfort her friend.
Thumbelina wept a little.
"Come on, Thumbelina," Poppy urged in a comforting tone, "Let's get out of here." And she and the tiny girl exited out of the Beetle Cave for good, not bothering to look back.
AN: As much as I like Berkeley Beetle, he was such a jerk to Thumbelina in this scene.