The Lost Bee <xi>

Bella, princess bee of the forest hive, is looking for nectar. 'We need a lot of nectar for the queen's honey elixir,' says Bella. 'There's a patch of flowers over there, princess,' says one of her bee helpers. With a flick of her wings, she zooms towards it, the helpers taking care to follow quickly. They don't want to lose her. She is the princess, after all!

Bella lands on a big orange flower, the biggest in the whole patch. The petals are flexible and soft, and just strong enough to hold her. She closes her eyes and breathes in the lovely fragrance. 'The queen will be so proud when we bring back all the nectar she needs,' she says. She starts to gather it in the bottle on her belt.

As evening approaches, the buzzing of the bees grows louder. Bella's helpers are hurrying to fill their nectar jars for the queen's elixir. They do not notice that Bella has finished. She flies off to look for another flower full of nectar. Bella is all by herself, and the woods are getting dark.

Bella finds a nice leaf and looks at the beautiful sky. Suddenly, she sees an unusual purple flower high above her. "That flower is huge!" she exclaims. 'I bet I can get more nectar than all the other bees combined from that huge flower,' she says. 'I don't want my helpers, I can do this all by myself!'

Flying high into the air, Bella zooms straight for the purple flower. 'Oh, there will be so much nectar in that flower!' she buzzes happily. 'If I bring it all back to the hive, the queen will be able to finish her elixir for sure!' A couple of small spiders are nearby, but Bella takes care to avoid them. But it is not them she should have been worried about.

Bella flies right into 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. She wishes she had her helpers with her now!

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!' Bella hears his voice and begins to fight the sleepy feeling. 'Come on, we can get out of here together!' says the firefly.

Suddenly, the petals begin to close. 'Oh no, if we don't leave now, we'll be trapped!' says the firefly. A toxic liquid starts to fill up in the inside of the flower, and it makes the air foul. With a burst of strength, Bella grabs the firefly, and together 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 exhausted they can barely move. But the firefly's bright tail is drawing unwanted visitors. Snakes, frogs, and bugs, all of whom would find them a tasty snack! Suddenly, there is a buzzing all around them.

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 helpers say. 'Thank you for your help, firefly, I would have never have made it out otherwise,' says Bella. 'But I don't know how to get home, it's so dark!'

'Don't be anxious, princess bee,' says the firefly. 'I will call my family, and they will light the way for you and your friends!' Soon enough, a whole firefly clan lights up the night sky. The bees can easily find their way home! 'Thanks for all your help, firefly!' shouts Bella as they enter the hive.

In the hive, Bella feels sorry she abandoned her helpers. She would not have made it home without their help. 'I am sorry for leaving you all behind,' she says to them. 'Do not worry, princess, we found you in the end!' they say. 'Now we can enjoy the queen's sweet honey elixir!'