Free Beetle Power! by Joe Miller

  
    Zap was about to score! He darted towards the empty goal and nudged the grass seed ball forwards, ready to shoot. Suddenly Crunch took up position between the two goalposts. The huge stag beetle spread out his claws.
    Slimy snails! thought Zap. How am I going to get the ball past him?
    Then he had an idea. He zipped underneath Crunch’s shiny black body, between his legs and out the other side.
    â€œWhere’s Zap gone?” said Crunch, peering between his legs.

    â€œHere I am!” shouted Zap, nudging the ball into the goal.
    Zap flew into the air, doing a loop-the-loop in celebration. He may be the smallest beetle in Spinner’s Wood – but he was faster than the rest of his Bug Buddies.
    â€œNice move,” Buzz the ladybird called. Zap landed on the soft grass. His best friend, Lurch the dung beetle, scuttled over to him.
    â€œI’ve seen beetles crawl over somebody to score,” he said, “but never underneath!”
    â€œI told you this was a good place for a game of Beetle Ball,” said Buzz. “The short grass makes it perfect for Zap’s fancy moves.”
    â€œWe can play here now that we don’t have to worry about Spinner,” said Crunch.
    A tingle of nerves ran through Zap. The Bug Buddies never usually played Beetle Ball this close to Shadow Creek. But since the evil spider, Spinner, had been trapped in a tunnel a few weeks ago, everyone in Spinner’s Wood had livedpeacefully. Zap still kept an eye out for eight hairy legs, though.
    After all , he thought, we’ve defeated Spinner before and he’s always returned.
    The four friends made their way over to Algae Pond. “Playing Beetle Ball has made me hungry,” said Buzz.
    Zap laughed. “ Everything makes you hungry!” he said.
    Buzz crawled off to search for a snack. Zap smiled as a group of pond-skaters glided over on the surface of the water. Their thin, brown bodies were held above thewater by four long, skinny legs.
    â€œI wish we could play you at Beetle Ball,” one of them called.
    â€œMe too,” said Zap, “but we can’t float on water.”
    â€œI wonder if dung balls float?” said Lurch.
    Zap chuckled. His best friend was forever talking about poo!
    A pond-skater pointed a leg towards the other side of the pond. “Hey,” he said, “I didn’t know ladybirds could actually make things go spotty.”
    Zap saw Buzz sitting on a rock which was covered in small, black spots.
    â€œTime to play a trick,” said Zap, mischievously.
    Zap, Lurch and Crunch flew across the pond, landing next to Buzz.

    â€œOh no,” said Zap, pointing at the rock, “are you losing your spots?” Buzz spat out his snack.

    He started scrabbling around on the rock.
    â€œI’m only teasing,” said Zap. “Yourspots can’t really fall off. Anyway, you don’t have this many. You’ve only got seven, remember?”
    Lurch scuttled across the rock, examining the dark spots with a worried expression on his face.
    â€œWhat’s wrong?” asked Zap.
    â€œWe’d better be on the lookout for more of these,” said Lurch.
    â€œWhy?” asked Crunch. “They’re just a bunch of spots.”
    â€œDepends on who left them here,” said Lurch.
    Zap felt a prickle of anxiety.
    Â 
    When something mysterious happened near Shadow Creek, it usually meant that a certain spider was up to no good …

  
    The Bug Buddies flew through the wood, searching for more dark spots.
    â€œThere’s some!” shouted Zap, pointing to a green and white hosta plant on the edge of a small clearing.
    Lurch swooped down on the fatleaves, dashing from spot to spot, peering at each one.
    â€œLook,” said Buzz, pointing his antennae. “They’re all along the bank, too.”

    Zap looked round to see a trail of spots heading towards Gonzo’sRock. Lurch hurried over to the trail. He