I had been at the zoo for a few hours when I first saw the cage. It was set back in a field, away from prying eyes and the rest of the zoo. My mind still can't comprehend what it saw that day and when I tell you what I saw, you will probably think me to be mad. But I did see it, and I wish that it hadn't. I'm a shell of a man now because of that cage, my body rotted and weak. If only I hadn't been so greedy and shown some respect. This nightmare started a couple of months ago and I'll tell you the story.

***

I looked at the picture which was slid across the desk. The man opposite spoke, his voice strong and assertive, "This is what my daughter wants, and what my daughter wants she gets."

"Terrapin?" I asked.

"Tortoise."

"What's the difference?"

"How do I know, I'm a businessman not a zoologist. It's a rare dwarf tortoise."

"How rare?"

"The rarest and my daughter wants it." I looked at the picture again. The little creature was cute - with a faint brown body, caramel colored shell and a comedy baby dinosaur face, it was clear to see why a child would want one as a pet.

"What's its name again?"

"How should I know? Its real name is Attenborough's Dwarf Sun Tortoise. They were found in the Kalahari Desert, but are extinct in the wild now and only twelve zoos have them."

"And your daughter wants one."

"I just told you that, you deaf?" My companion was getting ratty; obviously his precious little angel had him wrapped around her grubby little finger, spoiled brat; but a job's a job.

"Alright, calm down, why me?"

My potential employer picked up his glass and sipped on the brown liquid swirling around inside, the ice cubes clinking against the glass. He moved, causing the leather on his chair to creak. The noise sounded rude. His office was grand, filled with bookcases, busts and expensive looking ornaments and was as sterile as a baby's bottle. He had offered me a drink but I never drink when negotiating, makes you make rash decisions, take on dangerous jobs. I was intrigued about this one though. Finished with his sipping he spoke again. "Because my sticky-fingered friend, I hear you're the best burglar in town." I liked his compliment. I was the best burglar in town. Word obviously spreads around.

"Well, I don't know about that." You've got to be modest, nobody likes a bragger.

"Don't be modest. Look I'm a busy man you want this job or not?" I was curious; I had never stolen animals before. I burgled houses, robbed banks, but what do I know about animals?

"I need more details, tell me what you got."

"Okay, drink?" he held his glass up. I nodded no and motioned for him to continue.

"My daughter loves animals. She saw those tortoises on TV and fell in love; she wants some and you're going to get them." I was all ears. "The zoo has two of them; male and female, isn't that sweet. They're on some captive breeding programme, trying to get numbers up for a reintroduction into the wild. I don't care about any introduction, but I do care about my little girl, so she's getting them." The more he spoke the more I disliked his little brat of a girl, what was her name anyway, Veruca Salt? But a jobs a job.

"Ok."

"Ok what? Ok you'll do it?" I scratched my chin and gave him my confirmation.

"Yeah, I'm interested, how much?"

"Ten."

"Ten, you're kidding me. For a job like this the going rate is fifty." He laughed at my answer and I nearly walked out there and then. I was the one who would be taking all the risks. I had a reputation for keeping my mouth shut if caught, and I hadn't been caught in fifteen years.

"Fifty is too high my friend." I enjoyed negotiating; it was part of the thrill of the job. I had long ceased the need for cash; I had earned enough over the years. I now did jobs for the thrill of it but I wasn't letting anybody walk over me with a low price, I had a reputation to enforce. I was expensive because I was the best.

"Thirty." Just one of my eyebrows rose. He understood. "Okay then forty, that's my final offer."

"Fine." We shook hands on it like gentlemen.

"I expect them in a week."

"Fine, I need a few days to check out the joint anyway."

We stood up and parted ways with another handshake and I went home, going straight to bed when I got there. I had a lot of planning to do.

***

I awoke early the next day and had a light breakfast whilst reading about the tortoises on my laptop. The poor little blighters had had a bad time of it recently. A nature programme on TV about them created a demand for them as pets. Poor impoverished locals jumped at the chance to make cash and a global trafficking operation started almost instantly. In two years there were none of the little guys to be found in the wild. Zoos were the last chance for the tortoises and I did have reservations, but a job is a job. As soon as I start turning down jobs my reputation suffers and I loved the buzz of a job. As they were live creatures I studied how to care for them. I didn't want them to die in transit. With enough knowledge on how to care for them I hit the zoo.

It was a glorious day at the zoo. I paid my entrance fee, bought an ice cream, and wandered about the complex. The monkeys were next to the entrance and the area was busier than the rest of the zoo. I slowly ambled passed the enclosures, just a guy enjoying a day out. The zoo was open for hours and I was in no rush. The sun was hot so I bought a soda at a stall and enjoyed the cold refreshing liquid as it slipped down my throat. Animal sounds and bird calls filled the air, all mixed in with excited children's laughter and parents' chatter. The reptile house was up ahead. It was time to start work.

The cold air conditioned air inside the reptile house was a welcome relief from the heat outside. It was quieter too. Signs saying QUIET were plastered all over the enclosures and I walked along the wall of cages and tanks, the sounds of my footsteps the loudest noise. Snakes, lizards, frogs and weird animals I had never heard of were all on show. Some were camouflaged and it took a trained eye to find them. I didn't look too long as I needed to find my little friends.

I found them at the back of the room, next to a long green mean looking snake. It had black evil eyes and I'm ashamed to say I shuddered a little. Anyway I had found the tortoises. They were tinier than I imagined -about the size of a matchbox. All I had to do now was to find a way to get them out.

The room had only one entrance and exit but along the back wall was a long Perspex window. This was it, this was my way in. I went back outside and found the window again. The window was held to the wall with screws. This was going to be easier than I thought. All I needed was a screwdriver, a box and forty large would be nestling in a bank in Switzerland. I was just about to walk away when I heard a noise: singing. It was a female voice, better than any opera singer I had ever heard. The sound was beautiful and hypnotising. It raised my soul and I wanted to hear more. There was a small overgrown path with a small gate and fence heading in the direction of the singing. I looked around. Satisfied that I was alone I jumped over the waist high bars and headed down the path, the song still in the air, making me feel nice, surreal almost. I felt as though I was floating along on the breeze.

After a short while the path opened up to a field which was about the size of four tennis courts. The clearing was encircled by woods and the floor was covered in the most beautiful array of flowers I had ever seen. Blues, oranges, violets, pinks, greens, purples, yellows, reds, all the beautiful colors you could ever imagine were represented on a beautiful undulating sea of petals and the smell, I had never smelled anything like it. The air was heavy with the scent of perfume, mixed in with a plethora of other smells: citrus, lemon and lime; vanilla, lavender, strawberry, cherry and surprisingly bubble-gum, aniseed and butterscotch. For a moment I felt that I would be overcome by sweetness, the scents making me light headed.

In the centre of the enclosure was a cage, a small one but one with another structure inside covered in tarpaulin. Looking all around I couldn't see anybody so I approached the cage trying not to crush any of the beautiful flowers beneath my size twelve feet. There was no sound in the clearing, no birds or bees buzzed, in fact there were no insects or animals anywhere to be seen or heard. Pushing this thought from my mind I approached the cage. Where had the singing come from; surely not inside the cage? Did they have some fat Valkyrie trapped inside here? Was her song one like the mermaids? Was she calling me to my doom?

With a shaking hand I put my hand through the bars; nothing bit me or grabbed me. I lifted the tarpaulin, bent down, and peered inside. I could not work out what I was looking at. Inside the cage was a black pulsating mass, interspersed with flecks of white, purple, yellow and orange. It appeared to be a massive undulating mass of organic material and I felt fear, but also curiosity. My curiosity overpowered my fear and I peered more at the mass, trying to work out what it was. And then I heard the song again. The beautiful voice sounded in my head but this time it hurt. I clasped my hands to my ears and was just about to shout out when I heard a voice behind me.

"You there, get away from the cage." I turned around and saw that the shout came from a gamekeeper or park ranger, whatever a zoo worker is called. "Get way from there, don't touch that." I stumbled away from the cage, my head hurting and walked towards the man.

A few seconds later he was on me and shouting in my face. My head was pounding and I was in no shape to fight. If he was going to beat me he was going to win.

"Sorry, I was looking for the toilet," I muttered, still light headed.

"The toilets are next to the monkey, lion and giraffe enclosures. I suggest you go there now." My head hurt and I was in no state to argue so I stumbled from the field, staggered back through the small woodland and found a seat in a cafe near the rhino enclosure. Two cold beers calmed my nerves and the headache rescinded. What was in that cage? Where was that woman who was singing? In all the commotion I had almost forgot about what I was there to do. A few shakes of the head and I was ready. I needed to find a way to get into the zoo after hours.

The next few hours were spent walking around the perimeter both inside and outside. The zoo was security conscious, as is everywhere these days, and cameras were dotted around the complex. Being a burglar, I could spot weaknesses in the fortifications. Next to the reptile house was a row of three cages. One contained small deer type creatures, the next a Komodo dragon and the final cage had some sort of rodents. Scrabby little blonde weasels with inquisitive faces and they chirped with squeaky squeals. All of the cages had a wire mesh across the top, I guess to protect them from eagles or something. I could climb up the wall on the outside and creep across the top of the enclosures. When I got past the third enclosure, providing the mesh held my weight, I could climb down the outside of the bars and hide amongst the decorative foliage which was spread throughout the park. I would then go to the back of the reptile house, unscrew the screws at the bottom of the window, sneak inside, cut the glass of the tortoise enclosure, put them in a box then exit the way I came. Forty minutes top. There were cameras inside the reptile house, but I knew how to disable them. I had traced the distances out during my last visit and was confident that I would find the right enclosure in the dark. Get it wrong and I'd be touching up that massive green snake. Once I had the critters I would retrace my steps, hand the booty over and enjoy the feel of that forty large.

Two nights later the job went ahead. I dressed in dark, it was a cliche but dark clothing was needed. The wall wasn't too high and using a nearby tree I managed to get over it and I lay motionless on the mesh in the dark. Strange sounds were all around me; bird song and animal grunts. Maybe some animals were nocturnal and they were up and watching me now. I was just about to move when a sound froze my heart. A roar, a lion's roar, just like in all those nature documentaries. I forgot where I was for a moment and lay rigid with fear waiting for the smell of fetid breath to hit my nostrils, too feel the claws and teeth rip my flesh open but it didn't come. Silly really, as if they would let lions roam about at night and anyway, there was no way they could get me when I was on the roof of the cage. Silly.

Getting my breath back I moved on and started crawling along the top of the deer enclosure. They must have smelled or heard me because they stirred in their sleep and in the dark I could just make out their little heads looking up at me. With no time to wait I speeded up, satisfied that the mesh would hold my weight. Scurrying like a monkey, I made good progress and was slightly scared when the dragon hissed at me. The weasel things chirped and sung as I scrambled above but their little voices weren't loud enough to alert the staff. I climbed down the bars, hid in the shadows and tried to get my breath back. My heart was pounding and my legs were wobbly. I loved that feeling. It meant I was scared and fear drove me on. I was the best at this.

Walking through the shadows I found my way to the back of the reptile house, so far so good. I had just started to unscrew the first bolt when I heard voices; just what I needed. I ran to a shadow and hid, trying to control my breathing, hoping that they wouldn't hear the pounding of my heart. I stood motionless, waiting for the source of the noise to arrive. I didn't wait long. A crowd of people came past me; about a dozen and they were all talking in hushed tones. I pushed myself backwards, hoping the shadow would swallow me more. The group were heading down a path; a path that I just suddenly remembered led to that weird field with the cage covered in tarpaulin. Fearing that I would get caught I took off my balaclava, gloves and jumper and joined the back of the queue.

The evening was warm and pleasant and I was soon sweating again. In front of me a woman pushed a wheelchair containing a small girl. She was holding a flashlight out in front of her, the beam cutting the darkness of the night like a lightsaber. A small gradient made for hard going and the mother struggled to push the chair. Without thinking I suddenly found myself pushing the wheelchair to a grateful thank you from the mother. This was good, the chair gave me cover. I hoped that I wouldn't be recognized from the previous incident at the cage.

After a short walk we found ourselves in the clearing. The cage was still there, as was the tarpaulin. The only thing different now was that lights had been brought in and the field was lit up brighter than Christmas. The flowers were still there, as was the delicious scent, and I watched as the people picked a spot in the field.

They stood, or sat alone. Some of the crowd were in wheelchairs and for the first time I noticed something odd. The crowd was made up with people who had some sort of affliction. People with limbs hanging limply at their sides, badly burned skin; blind people and people with all sorts of skin conditions, poor souls and I felt enormous pity. What was happening here? A keeper was standing beside the cage and he raised his hands, hushing the crowd. I heard no sound apart from my heartbeat. The hush spread around and all was silent. Even the animals locked in their cages were quiet. My curiosity was getting the better of me again and I wanted to shout out, "What's going on?" but I didn't. I stood there in silence with the rest of them forgetting all about the burglary I was half way through. Then from somewhere nearby I heard the singing again, softly at first but rising, getting louder and louder. The sound was beautiful. I felt my heart and soul lift and I felt like I was floating up to Heaven and I never wanted to come down. The singing got louder, beautiful words I didn't understand but I didn't care about that. I just stood there absorbing the wonderful sound but I still couldn't work out where it was coming from.

I then watched as the keeper opened the cage door, went in and pulled the tarpaulin back. The black undulating mass was there again, fully on display and it was huge. It moved and seethed as if breathing. The little colored dots were back again and they formed beautiful patterns, kaleidoscopic images which burned my brain with beauty. I was hypnotized. What was this beautiful but horrific creature and then I realized. To my utter utter horror and bewilderment the cage was filled with bees; thousands and thousands of bees and they were moving as one. The singing got louder. Was the lady inside the cage? Was she covered in bees? The bees split up and flew out the cage, flying about the clearing. Nobody moved, none looked scared and all stood looking as the creatures flew above them. Where was the singing coming from, it was driving me mad and then I realized: it was the bees. The bees were singing. How they could do that I had no idea. I felt my jaw hit my foot and stood motionless, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. Singing bees, was that even possible? Well it must be because I'm hearing it. If that wasn't enough to shock me; what followed next almost killed me.

I watched in disbelief as the bees landed on the people in the field. Not everybody had the insects on them, only the people who were sick or afflicted. Each person was covered from head to toe in the creatures. The people made no sound or movement and I stood with my brain frying at what I was seeing. The singing got louder but the people covered in the creatures remained like statues. The bees sang, and on each person I watched as the patterns appeared and disappeared. After what seemed like a lifetime the bees suddenly flew up to the sky, leaving the people who were still motionless alone.

I looked over at the people and saw that they were fine. No stings or marks were visible; in fact the people looked totally different. The burns on a lady's face had disappeared and a man who had a limp arm ten minutes before was now waving it about and twiddling his previously useless fingers. There were empty wheelchairs, their occupants dancing about the field. The little girl I had pushed in the wheelchair was dancing with joy and tears streamed down her mother's face. Everybody had smiles on their faces and tears on their cheeks. What had just happened here? What had healed these people?

The bees, the bees must have done it. I know that sounds crazy but they must have. The people were afflicted, the bees landed on them and sang and now they were healed. The bees were now down on the ground. They buzzed around the flowers; drinking the nectar, refueling their bodies, a quiet buzzing sound audible. All of the people who had been cured and their helpers came to the edge of the field and formed the largest group hug I had ever seen. Joyous teary faces, caught in a moment of wondrous happiness. Those healed opened up bags and I watched as they planted beautiful flowers along the edge of the clearing, making it bigger, more colorful. They then formed up in a line and the bees flew back into the cage. The tarpaulin was pulled back over the mass and the cage was closed but not locked.

The group and I walked back along the path and back out into the main complex. My head was buzzing and I had forgotten all about what I had come for. I found myself exiting the zoo with the crowd and stood in silence as the main gates were locked. I did not sleep that night, the song continued to play in my head, the images confusing my mind.

****

The next morning I remembered about the tortoises and I phoned my client apologizing for not getting the creatures, blaming a security breach. I promised that I would get them that night and set out after dark. My previous entry method served me well again and I found myself in the clearing. There were no crowds or lights this time. I was alone and I had a big sack with me. Forget the tortoises and the forty grand. With a bagful of singing, healing bees I would become a millionaire, billionaire even and the appeal of forty grand was long gone.

With trembling hands I opened the cage and wondered why it wasn't locked or why bees would be kept in a cage with nothing but a tarpaulin to cover them, but that didn't matter now. I wasn't greedy; all I wanted was a bagful. Just as I pulled the tarpaulin I heard the song again; it was mesmerising and I stood for a moment, bag in hand listening as it warmed my soul. The thought of the job snapped me out of my trance and I swung the bag towards the mass, hoping to ensnare a few hundred. After a few swipes I managed to catch some and I closed the bag up and started to run away.

The song was still sounding in my head but as I ran it changed. A horrible sound, the worst I had ever heard exploded in my head- piercing metallic sounds, animals squealing, people crying and the sound of torture resonated in-between my ears, louder than anything I had ever heard before. It was excruciating. I felt my eardrums pop and I fell down, a heavy weight on my back, the song getting louder and more painful with new horrific sounds being added. My heart started pounding and my skin got hot. I could feel things on my chest and face, crawling in my ears and mouth and all the while that horrible noise getting louder and more painful. I tried to stand up, to get myself up and away from this madness but I couldn't. I was in too much pain. The bees, the bees were on me and in me. I could feel them draining the very life out of my body. I had forgotten all about the tortoises. I was thinking of bees.
And then I didn't think at all.

***

Greed. I had been greedy and now I'm paying for it. When I look in a mirror I see a stranger, a person foreign to me, but it is me. I have regretted my theft every day since committing it. I'm thirty four but to look at me you'd think that I'm a hundred and four. Those bees took my physical wellbeing from me, they took it out of my body just liked they took the afflictions from the people in the fields. My mind is the same, that hasn't aged as my body has. This is my punishment. The bees have punished me for what I did to them and who could blame them? All I know is that my thieving days are over; in fact all my days are over. Having a thirty four year old mind in a hundred and four year old body is horrible and every day I pay for my crime. I went back to the field, to see if the bees would cure me but all they did was ignore me. I'm stuck like this. Burglar Bill got more than a thrill.