A Sudden Interruption
An older man wearing a faded green field jacket stared up at the leafy canopy of a massive park oak before turning his eyes down toward a couple seated on a nearby wooden bench.
He shifted his backpack strap across his shoulder and took a step closer, raising one hand to draw their attention to the branches hovering directly above them.
The young man sitting on the bench barely looked up from his companion, reaching into his pocket to pull out paper currency.
He held the bills out between two fingers, flicking his wrist toward the stranger while telling him to move along.
The woman sitting beside him tilted her head back, adjusting her dark sunglasses as a smirk formed across her face.
An Unheeded Warning
The stranger shook his head side to side, holding both hands open in front of his chest to show he was not asking for charity.
He tried to speak again, pointing his calloused index finger straight up into the foliage above their heads.
The woman let out a loud laugh, waving her hand dismissively through the air while leaning closer to her partner.
Her companion snapped his arm outward, pointing down the paved walkway and demanding that the older man leave them alone.
The older man lowered his hands, letting his chin drop toward his collar as his expression settled into a solemn frown.
Without another word, he turned his body around and began walking away down the sunlit path.
The Danger Above
As he walked, his hand reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a dark smartphone.
His thumb tapped across the screen rapidly while he kept his eyes focused on the ground ahead of him.
High above the wooden bench, a large grey paper wasps nest hung precariously from a thin, cracking branch.
The bark split open with a sharp snap, releasing the heavy nest into a freefall toward the ground.
It smashed directly onto the wooden bench between the couple, breaking into several pieces upon impact.
A cloud of insects erupted into the air, buzzing furiously around the seated couple.
The woman recoiled, flailing her arms over her head as she scrambled off the bench.
Her partner jumped to his feet, swatting frantically at his neck and arms as he tried to back away from the bench.
An Unexpected Arrival
Moments later, a uniformed paramedic was kneeling on the grass beside the woman, opening a green first-aid kit.
He put on blue rubber gloves and carefully applied an antiseptic wipe across a red mark on her forearm.
The woman sat on the bench edge, holding her injured arm still while her partner stood beside her, rubbing the back of his head.
The partner looked around the park, asking the medical responder how they could have possibly arrived at the scene so fast.
The paramedic gestured with his hand toward the walkway behind them, pointing directly at the man in the green jacket standing quietly near the trees.
The couple walked up the path together to approach the stranger.
The young man extended a stack of green bills toward him, offering the cash with a humbled look on his face.
The older man looked down at the money, shook his head gently, and turned around to walk down the path alone with his backpack secured over his shoulder.
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