A story
Kenz and the Busy Bee
It was a warm spring morning, and Teta's garden was humming.
Kenz could hear it as soon as she stepped outside in her pink dress and pink shoes. Bzzz. Bzzz. It came from the purple lavender by the wall, from the red poppies, and from the little white flowers on the lemon tree.
Kenz pushed her pink round glasses up her nose and looked closely. There, on a stalk of lavender, was a small round bee. She was fuzzy and golden, with soft black stripes, and two shiny wings like tiny windows.
"Teta!" Kenz called. "There's a bee! Should I run away?"
Teta came out with her watering can and smiled. "No need to run, habibti. Bees are busy, not bothersome. If we stay calm and gentle, they just go on with their work."
"What work?" asked Kenz.
"Come and see," said Teta. "But remember the bee rule: we watch, we don't touch, and we move slowly."
Kenz crouched down beside the lavender, slowly, the way Teta showed her. She kept her hands on her knees. The bee did not even look at her. It was much too busy.
The bee crawled into one tiny purple flower, then another, then another. When it came out, its fuzzy legs had little yellow balls on them, like it was wearing yellow socks.
"Teta, the bee has yellow socks!" Kenz whispered, giggling.
Teta laughed softly. "That is pollen. It is like flower dust. The bee carries it home to make food. And while she flies from flower to flower, some of the dust falls off and helps the flowers make seeds and fruit."
Kenz's eyes went wide. "So the bee helps the flowers?"
"The bee helps the flowers, and the flowers help the bee," said Teta. "And do you know who else she helps?"
Kenz shook her curls.
Teta pointed up at the lemon tree. "Every one of those little white flowers can become a lemon. But only if a bee visits it. No bees, no lemons. And no apples, no cucumbers, no strawberries either."
"No strawberries?" Kenz gasped. Strawberries were her favorite.
"That's how important bees are," said Teta.
Kenz looked at the little bee with new respect. "I will call her Nashita," she decided, "because she is so busy."
Nashita buzzed off to the poppies, and Kenz followed slowly, hands behind her back. Nashita visited a red poppy. Then another. Then the lemon flowers. She never stopped for a rest.
"Doesn't she get tired?" Kenz asked.
"Bees work very hard," said Teta. "But she isn't working alone. Do you see that wooden box at the end of Uncle Salim's garden, next door?"
Kenz stood on tiptoe and peeked over the low wall. There was a white wooden box, and bees were flying in and out of a little door at the bottom.
"That's a beehive," said Teta. "Thousands of bees live there together, like one big family. Some bees collect pollen and nectar. Some clean the house. Some look after the baby bees. Some make honey. Each bee does a small job, and together they do something amazing."
"Like what?" asked Kenz.
Teta's eyes twinkled. "Wait here."
She went inside and came back with a small jar full of something golden that glowed in the sunshine.
"Honey!" said Kenz.
"Uncle Salim gave it to us," said Teta. "His bees made it. One bee alone can make only a tiny drop of honey in her whole life, as small as a crumb. But thousands of bees working together can fill this whole jar."
Kenz held the jar up to the sun. It shone like liquid gold. She thought about all the tiny drops from all the busy bees.
"So every bee does a little, and it becomes a lot," she said slowly.
"Exactly," said Teta.
Just then, Yousef came running into the garden, waving his arms. "Kenz! Kenz! Let's play!"
A bee flew near his head. Yousef squealed and flapped his hands at it. "Go away! Go away!"
"Yousef, stop!" said Kenz. "Be still, like a statue."
Yousef froze, his eyes squeezed shut. The bee hovered for a second, then floated off to the lavender.
"See?" said Kenz gently. "She wasn't interested in you. She was just going to work. If you flap, she might get worried. If you stay calm, she goes on her way."
Yousef opened one eye. "Really?"
"Really," said Kenz proudly. "That's the bee rule. We watch, we don't touch, and we move slowly." She showed him how to crouch down beside the lavender. Together they watched Nashita, or maybe one of her sisters, filling her yellow socks.
"She's so busy," whispered Yousef.
"She's helping make lemons and strawberries," Kenz told him. "And honey."
After a while, Kenz had an idea. "Teta, the bees work so hard for us. Can we do something for them?"
Teta thought. "Bees love flowers. The more flowers we have, the more food they find. Shall we plant some?"
"Yes!" said Kenz and Yousef together.
Teta brought out pots, soil, and seeds: lavender, sunflowers, and little blue cornflowers. Kenz dug holes. Yousef dropped in seeds. Teta covered them with soil. Then Kenz filled her green watering can and gave each pot a drink.
It was hard work. Kenz's hands got muddy and her cheeks got pink. But with three of them working together, all the pots were planted before lunch.
"We are like a beehive!" laughed Kenz. "Everyone does a little job, and together we did a lot."
Teta hugged them both. "That's right. Busy bees and busy children."
Then Teta made a special treat. She spread soft cheese on warm bread and drizzled golden honey on top. Kenz took a big bite. It was sweet and sticky and delicious.
"Thank you, bees," she said with her mouth full, and Yousef laughed so hard he almost dropped his bread.
That evening, as the sun went down, the garden grew quiet. The bees flew home to their hive to rest.
"Goodnight, Nashita," Kenz whispered toward Uncle Salim's garden. "Thank you for working so hard. Tomorrow we'll have even more flowers for you."
And in the warm spring air, a last sleepy bee buzzed past the lavender, as if to say, bzzz, you're welcome.
Lesson: Bees are small helpers who work hard together, and we can be gentle with them. When everyone does a small part, together we can make something wonderful.
Kenz could hear it as soon as she stepped outside in her pink dress and pink shoes. Bzzz. Bzzz. It came from the purple lavender by the wall, from the red poppies, and from the little white flowers on the lemon tree.
Kenz pushed her pink round glasses up her nose and looked closely. There, on a stalk of lavender, was a small round bee. She was fuzzy and golden, with soft black stripes, and two shiny wings like tiny windows.
"Teta!" Kenz called. "There's a bee! Should I run away?"
Teta came out with her watering can and smiled. "No need to run, habibti. Bees are busy, not bothersome. If we stay calm and gentle, they just go on with their work."
"What work?" asked Kenz.
"Come and see," said Teta. "But remember the bee rule: we watch, we don't touch, and we move slowly."
Kenz crouched down beside the lavender, slowly, the way Teta showed her. She kept her hands on her knees. The bee did not even look at her. It was much too busy.
The bee crawled into one tiny purple flower, then another, then another. When it came out, its fuzzy legs had little yellow balls on them, like it was wearing yellow socks.
"Teta, the bee has yellow socks!" Kenz whispered, giggling.
Teta laughed softly. "That is pollen. It is like flower dust. The bee carries it home to make food. And while she flies from flower to flower, some of the dust falls off and helps the flowers make seeds and fruit."
Kenz's eyes went wide. "So the bee helps the flowers?"
"The bee helps the flowers, and the flowers help the bee," said Teta. "And do you know who else she helps?"
Kenz shook her curls.
Teta pointed up at the lemon tree. "Every one of those little white flowers can become a lemon. But only if a bee visits it. No bees, no lemons. And no apples, no cucumbers, no strawberries either."
"No strawberries?" Kenz gasped. Strawberries were her favorite.
"That's how important bees are," said Teta.
Kenz looked at the little bee with new respect. "I will call her Nashita," she decided, "because she is so busy."
Nashita buzzed off to the poppies, and Kenz followed slowly, hands behind her back. Nashita visited a red poppy. Then another. Then the lemon flowers. She never stopped for a rest.
"Doesn't she get tired?" Kenz asked.
"Bees work very hard," said Teta. "But she isn't working alone. Do you see that wooden box at the end of Uncle Salim's garden, next door?"
Kenz stood on tiptoe and peeked over the low wall. There was a white wooden box, and bees were flying in and out of a little door at the bottom.
"That's a beehive," said Teta. "Thousands of bees live there together, like one big family. Some bees collect pollen and nectar. Some clean the house. Some look after the baby bees. Some make honey. Each bee does a small job, and together they do something amazing."
"Like what?" asked Kenz.
Teta's eyes twinkled. "Wait here."
She went inside and came back with a small jar full of something golden that glowed in the sunshine.
"Honey!" said Kenz.
"Uncle Salim gave it to us," said Teta. "His bees made it. One bee alone can make only a tiny drop of honey in her whole life, as small as a crumb. But thousands of bees working together can fill this whole jar."
Kenz held the jar up to the sun. It shone like liquid gold. She thought about all the tiny drops from all the busy bees.
"So every bee does a little, and it becomes a lot," she said slowly.
"Exactly," said Teta.
Just then, Yousef came running into the garden, waving his arms. "Kenz! Kenz! Let's play!"
A bee flew near his head. Yousef squealed and flapped his hands at it. "Go away! Go away!"
"Yousef, stop!" said Kenz. "Be still, like a statue."
Yousef froze, his eyes squeezed shut. The bee hovered for a second, then floated off to the lavender.
"See?" said Kenz gently. "She wasn't interested in you. She was just going to work. If you flap, she might get worried. If you stay calm, she goes on her way."
Yousef opened one eye. "Really?"
"Really," said Kenz proudly. "That's the bee rule. We watch, we don't touch, and we move slowly." She showed him how to crouch down beside the lavender. Together they watched Nashita, or maybe one of her sisters, filling her yellow socks.
"She's so busy," whispered Yousef.
"She's helping make lemons and strawberries," Kenz told him. "And honey."
After a while, Kenz had an idea. "Teta, the bees work so hard for us. Can we do something for them?"
Teta thought. "Bees love flowers. The more flowers we have, the more food they find. Shall we plant some?"
"Yes!" said Kenz and Yousef together.
Teta brought out pots, soil, and seeds: lavender, sunflowers, and little blue cornflowers. Kenz dug holes. Yousef dropped in seeds. Teta covered them with soil. Then Kenz filled her green watering can and gave each pot a drink.
It was hard work. Kenz's hands got muddy and her cheeks got pink. But with three of them working together, all the pots were planted before lunch.
"We are like a beehive!" laughed Kenz. "Everyone does a little job, and together we did a lot."
Teta hugged them both. "That's right. Busy bees and busy children."
Then Teta made a special treat. She spread soft cheese on warm bread and drizzled golden honey on top. Kenz took a big bite. It was sweet and sticky and delicious.
"Thank you, bees," she said with her mouth full, and Yousef laughed so hard he almost dropped his bread.
That evening, as the sun went down, the garden grew quiet. The bees flew home to their hive to rest.
"Goodnight, Nashita," Kenz whispered toward Uncle Salim's garden. "Thank you for working so hard. Tomorrow we'll have even more flowers for you."
And in the warm spring air, a last sleepy bee buzzed past the lavender, as if to say, bzzz, you're welcome.
Lesson: Bees are small helpers who work hard together, and we can be gentle with them. When everyone does a small part, together we can make something wonderful.
