Maya the Little Bee
Once upon a time, deep in a forest, there was a beehive in a tree. It was an important day for everyone, because today was the day the little ones would hatch from their eggs. But this is a story about someone special.
Birth and Name
— My eyes are burning! Why is it so dark in here? Wow!
This is the story of Maya the Little Bee.
— Come on! Get them out! Take your places now. — You shall be called Maya. — Maya. Wait! Why Maya? Why do we need names? — Uh, I wasn't told I'd have questions to answer. But fine. We all have names so others can call us. If I just say: "You, bee!" — What? Are you talking to me? — Now do you understand why we need names? — Yes! Because we are all the same, yet still different. — That is absolutely correct. That's a good thought, Maya.
First Flight
— Everyone come on! Follow me outside! — Wow!
Maya was amazed. It was as if she was inside a shimmering golden balloon. All the bees were busy with their chores. Some cleaned the hive walls, some pollinated in what looked like a diamond, and others simply walked in a line.
— So, you will be assigned tasks. Those who clean the walls are the cleaners. Then we have the collector bees, the worker bees. — But why do we have to work? — What kind of bee are you? Bees don't ask questions! — Don't be so rude, Julian. She's just a child!
Bee Roles and Nectar
— Maya, we have to work because if we don't, we'll all be very confused and useless. If the cleaners don't clean, then the hives will get dirty. If the collector bees don't collect nectar... — What is nectar? — Honey is made from flower nectar. There. Do you see them? They are the collector bees. They bring back nectar from flowers and then the worker bees make honey from it. — Collector bees bring nectar from flowers? But how do they carry the nectar? — Oh, sweet little one! In their honey stomach, of course. We all have one. — Oh! Is that where I feel hungry right now? — Oh, no, not at all. That's your food stomach. — If we keep this up, we'll be stuck here all day. — Why can't we stay here all day?
Maya's Uniqueness
Days passed. All the new bees were given different jobs. Some cleaned the hive from the inside, others cleaned dry leaves from the outside. Some collected nectar from flowers, and others guarded the hive against predators. Everyone had a fixed place, except for Maya. She always saw things differently.
When everyone cleaned the walls with their hands, she just blew at the walls and considered the job done. And when the bees walked in a line...
— Why are you bothering me? — Ouch! Everyone's worried I can't find my place. So, I'm trying to see if I can walk like you. — Well, you're doing it very wrong. — But you are you and I am me. How can I walk like you do? Tell me, can you walk like this? — No, of course I can. See? Ouch, no. What am I doing? You, child, you're distracting me. What kind of bee are you? — Oh, no, I'm being left behind!
Maya's Dream
Neither Cassandra, the worker bee, nor the Queen herself could place Maya anywhere. She kept looking at everything with wonder and asking many questions.
— What do you have on your head, Great Queen? — You can't talk to the Queen like that! I'm sorry, Your Majesty. — Ohohoho! Tell me, Maya, why can't you work where we want you to? — Oh, I don't know. Everyone here is always so busy. They just work, work, work, work. I don't feel happy when I see them. But I felt happy that day when I fell out of that diamond thing and whoosh, and whoosh, I flew! And I went round and round. My dream is to fly, to go outside and see the world! — Oh, dear! What is she talking about? Dream? Happy? What kind of bee are you? Bees don't dream! — Oh, Your Majesty, forgive me. She means no harm. I tried to place her myself, but she keeps talking about going outside. Perhaps that's what she truly wants. That's probably what she's good at. We can send her out to collect nectar. — Well, asking a bee what she wants to be would be a first. — And also, very confusing. — Bees' places are distributed as soon as they hatch from their eggs. But, if this is good for the hive, so be it. She's big enough to be sent out to collect nectar. Instruct her well and let her go outside.
Meeting the Wasps
— Yes, Your Majesty.
And so, Maya learned all about flowers. She was then trained to follow the swarm of bees. She was repeatedly warned never to fly alone and finally warned about wasps. Wasps were the sworn enemies of bees. They always tried to steal honey and harm the bees.
— But we can sting them if they hurt us, can't we? — Wasps are getting smarter and smarter, Maya, and they wear armor every time they attack us. Only their necks can be stung, as they don't wear helmets. But no bee has ever managed to sting a wasp in battle. Be very careful not to let them find you, okay? — I will be careful!
Maya Gets Lost
Maya said goodbye to Cassandra and left with the swarm. This was her first trip outside the hive. The moment she stepped out, Maya was impressed. The trees, the ferns, the flowers!
— Wow! It's so beautiful here! I could buzz here all day! — Shhh! We're here to work, Maya, not just buzz around. Make sure you're always near the swarm, okay?
But Maya wasn't listening. She was busy enjoying her first flight.
— Ouch! What is that? It's so shiny! Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know anyone was here. Hello! I'm Maya the Little Bee. And you? Oh, I think you're a bee too. And you're quite wonderful, I must say. Oh, wait! You, you're imitating me? That's very rude of you! Oh! You hurt me! You're very rude! — Well, well, well. Look what we have here. A human disguised as a bee. — Disgu... what? — Disguised. Meaning you're a human under bee clothes. — But I'm a bee! I'm not a human! And that's a bee too! But a very rude one! — That's your reflection, silly. She's not rude. You're being rude to yourself for yourself. It's all in your head. Like a human, believe me, they create most of their own problems. Anyway, what are you doing here? — Oh! Am I rude? My name is Maya. Maya the Bee. — I know! I heard you introduce yourself to me earlier. — Oh, that's right. Actually, I was out with my swarm collecting honey. Oh, no! My swarm! I'm lost! They've all gone! — Hold on. You got lost while you were with your swarm? What kind of bee are you? Ah, what will you do now? — Oh, I don't know. I'll collect some nectar and go home, I guess. — Well, there are a bunch of juicy flowers over there. You can try. — Oh, it's so nice of you to help me! Thank you, Mr. Cricket. — My name is Hopper. Flip Hopper. — Oh, of course! Flip Hopper! Thank you!
Captured by Wasps
Maya collected as much honey as she could and buzzed her way back home. She flew through tall trees and bushes, and yet it was a long way to go.
— Oh, I'm tired. Maybe I can rest somewhere for a while. I can fly later.
Just then, Maya was looking for a flower.
— Ah! Let me go! Let me go! — Not so fast, little one! The Queen will be so pleased with me! — With us! With us! She'll be so pleased with us! We found a cute bee! — Don't call her cute, idiot! She is our sworn enemy! — You're right. This ugly little bee with cute eyes. — Let's go!
The Wasps' Attack Plan
The wasps locked Maya in a small room. Maya was very scared and tried to escape, but couldn't.
— What do I do now? — Shhh! This is a very secret plan, okay? Listen. Tomorrow we're going to teach those bees a lesson. — Oh! Should I get my red pen? — What? No! Not that kind of lesson! We're going to attack their hive tomorrow! Be ready! — Oh! What do we do with the one we caught? — We'll see what we do with her tomorrow morning. Come on now! Let's go and help the guards!
Saving the Hive
The wasps didn't know that Maya had heard their plan.
— No! They're going to attack the hive! No! I can't lose hope! I must save my family!
That night, Maya couldn't sleep. She kept thinking about what to do next.
— Oh, how do I stop the wasps?
Only their necks can be stung, because they don't wear helmets. But no bee has ever managed to sting a wasp in battle.
— Wait! I know!
As the sun rose, the wasp entered Maya's room.
— Hello, little bee! Wait! Where is she? — Ha! That's what you get for calling me ugly! I must warn the Queen!
Maya flew as fast as she could and reached her hive. She told the Queen the entire incident.
— Oh, no! Quickly! Alert the guards! We must be ready!
The hive was now ready for the attack. When the wasps arrived, the bees attacked with all their energy. They flew from above and stung the wasps in the neck. Maya had instructed the bees well. The wasps were totally confused and surprised.
— Retreat! Retreat!
They fled in no time.
— Yes! Yes! We won! Where are you going, wasps? We won! Bees are the best! Bees are the best! Yes!
A New Path
— Oh, we are all very grateful to you, Maya. Your courage and intelligence saved us today. — This is my home! I will do anything to protect it! — Oh, my child! I am so proud of you. Tell me, what do you want to be when you grow up? — Oh, I want to be a teacher! I will tell all the bees about my experiences and teach them to be their own kind of bee. — Their own kind of bee? — Yes! Everyone asks me: "What kind of bee are you?" Well, I am my own kind of bee! And so are we all! — And I want to be my own kind of bee too. — Your own kind of bee is boring. Be my kind of bee! — Well, Maya, you are certainly a good teacher and we are happy to have you among us.
Be your own kind of bee, because each of us is unique and special.
