The Bear And The Bee

The Bear And The Bee

One Spring morning, when the grass dripped with dew, and the robins sung their sweet song, an old grizzly bear strode through the forest. He paused to rub his grumbling belly with a paw, then sniffed the air. A faint buzzing filled the air, and the old bear cocked his head to the side and listened. He squinted his little beady green eyes, and stared at the pine trees, searching for the sound. A rotten tree stump burnt like ash caught his eye. He grunted and ambled towards it.

On top of the tree stump sat a bee hive. An old hive with broken holes and one side smashed in. The bear could see the honey inside. He smacked his lips and a gleam shone in his eyes. He quickened his pace and stretched out a big paw to grab the hive.

"Halt! Who goes there?" A cold voice demanded.

The bear stopped in his tracks. His little eyes blinked as his gaze wandered among the pines.

"Huh? Who speaks to me?" The bear said.

"I do." A voice replied. "Stay where you are, or I shall strike!"

Suddenly, a black and yellow bumblebee shot out of the hive. She flew around in continuous circles, buzzing like a soldier on patrol.

The bear's eyes widened for a moment, then his eyes narrowed as he studied the bee. With a grunt, he stepped forward.

"I said halt!" The bee shrieked. "This is private property. Go away or I will hurt you."

The bear patted his nicely rounded belly. He grinned at the bee, and then exploded into guffaws of laughter.

"Hawr! Hawr! You and who's army, little one?" He taunted. "I want that honey, and I'm going to take it. Ain't nothing you can do about it."

With a roar, he sprang for the hive.

"Bzzz! I warned you! You won't take what is mine!" And she stung the bear hard on his rear.

The bear shrieked and hopped in the air. He winced as he rubbed his rear.

"Ye och! That hurt!" The bear screamed. "I'll get you for this bee. I'll smash you and your hive and get your honey!"

Growling, he swung his paws at the bee in great circles, trying to smash her between his paws. The bee danced around him like a nimble boxer, stabbing him with her stinger whenever she saw an opening.

The bear huffed and puffed like a strained locomotive. His vigorous swipes turned to feeble swats as the bee stung him over and over. Already, his big belly showed traces of black dots--over two dozen of the stings.

"Ouch!" The bear groaned. "I'm not going to die for your lousy honey! I'm outta here!" And the bear raced for the bushes, his chocolate fur all soaked with blood and sweat.

The bee watched the bear flee. She whizzed around her hive in a victory lap.

"For my home." She whispered.

my home

a hive

of honey