The Lost Bee (Prefix)
Adapted from "Lebah Bermata Besar" by Sou Kimsan. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Bella, princess bee of the forest hive, is looking for nectar. 'We need a lot more nectar to make honey,' says Bella. 'There's a patch of flowers over there, princess,' says one of her fellow bees. With a flick of her wings, she zooms towards it, the other bees taking care to follow quickly.
Bella lands on a big orange flower, the biggest in the whole patch. She closes her eyes and breathes in the lovely smell. 'The queen will be so proud of me when I bring this back,' she says. 'Unlike last time, I will be the one with the most nectar!'
The sun is going down, and night starts to unfold. The other bees are trying to get as much nectar as they can. They do not see that Bella has flown off. Bella is all by herself, and the woods are getting dark.
Bella sees a bright purple flower, bigger than the rest. 'Oh, there will be so much nectar in that flower!' she buzzes. 'If I bring it all back to the hive, I will be the best bee for sure!' Bella is being very unwise.
Bella flies right inside the flower's golden heart and takes a sip of the nectar. But it is bitter and makes her feel dizzy. She tries to make a quick exit, but quickly runs out of breath. Her wings become weak and her eyes begin to close.
But Bella is not alone in the purple flower. A firefly sees that she is trapped and flies over to help her. 'Wake up!' he cries. 'This is a toxic flower, it's trying to eat us!' 'Come on, we can get out of here!'
The flower begins to close! A toxic smell starts to fill up in the inside of the flower. With a burst of strength, Bella grabs the firefly, and they fly up as fast as they can! They make it out just in time!
Having made their exit, the firefly and Bella lie on the grass outside of the flower. They are so tired they can barely move. But the firefly's bright tail draws frogs and snakes who want to eat them! Just then, there is a loud buzzing sound.
It's Bella's helper bees, who arrive in time to save her! The forest creatures slither away quickly before they can get stung. 'Come quickly, princess, we must go back to the hive!' the bees say. 'But it is dark, and I don't know if we can find the way,' says Bella.
'Don't be scared, princess bee,' says the firefly. 'I will call my family, and they will light the way for you and your friends!' Soon, a whole firefly clan lights up the night sky. The bees can find their way home!