STORIES

on the east end of a honey farm
there stood 6 hives full of honey
and honey bees going about their daily work
in the farthest one to the left
was the most honey of the 6
and there the queen bee rested in her hive
quite contented with her workers
they brought her food and what she needed each day
and always did what she commanded
one day as she was watching them go in and out
and about their duties
she wondered that they did not make more honey
than they apparently did
"bring me some honey from that comb over there!"
she shouted with a buzz
she had spotted some honey a few yards away
that would be free
if the bees would go and fetch it
a small ladybug crawled up to the entrance of her hive
with a short message:
"beware of the poison hidden in other's hives"
the workers brought the message to the queen
and she called it rubbish
and cast those workers out of her hive
the bees sent to bring the honey from the other hive
did not return though
but she still would not believe the tiny ladybug
so she sent out another swarm saying,
"bring me what I desire
the best honey from the next hive"
and sent the workers away with a scowl
the ladybug came again
and said there was a message for the queen again
this time it warned:
"watch for the storm"
the queen bee heard the words repeated to her
and looked up at the sky
then started to laugh deep inside
"do you see it?
it couldn't be bluer!"
she mocked with a sneer
"bring me no more words of nonsense!
I want an end to this pestering"
then to herself she muttered,
"crazy bug . . . thinks it is above me
and knows what is about to occur
I will show it just how safe I am
in the beautiful sunlight"
then in her anger
she commanded for all the bees
in her hive
to go and take siege
of the other hives on the farm
they left
for they obeyed her very well
and all was quiet in an instant
the queen was glad to relax
without all the noisy, constant buzzing
and declared it a weekly holiday - that day
no more than a dozen minutes later the air grew cooler
and a breeze began to blow
as the hives were covered by the shadow of a cloudy sky
as the rain drops began to fall
the bees scurried about
and tried to find their way home
thunder crashed and a nearby oak tree
was starting to sway
but the worker bee's fury had now quelled
some of their fear
for the moment
so they seemed not to notice how much danger
they were in
they headed for their home hive
angry and grieved
for they had lost many that day already
on account of the poisoned honey
suddenly
lightning struck the oak tree
inadequately sheltering the hives
and a crash of loud noises was all that was heard
by the bees
for the next few minutes
their hive had fallen!
the queen bee had escaped
and also seen the livid bees on the chase
for her ruthless demands and own selfish laziness
so headed for the forest immediately
"how can I explain why I did what I've done
and how can I make the warnings
I received sound false?
if only the ladybug had never bothered me
and caused this storm"


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