A bee and his rose

It was a long day. The sun shone brightly high above and the wind blew silently from the west. A bee hovered from flower to flower in the scorching heat. The queen had strict orders. They had to be followed. He could not escape work. He could not rest for that would deteriorate his reputation as the best worker among the swarm of bees in his hive.

As he flew over a large garden, he saw a lot of flowers - yellow, green, red, blue. All kinds! They were under a large banyan tree and were happily swaying in the cool breeze. This garden was known to him. He had been there many times. The flowers here were kind and friendly. They sometimes, offered him a place to sit and relax before he flew back.

But the garden was not the same, today. He noticed a little flower in the corner. A bright little rose - a white one! She was shy and looked down. She was one among the rest, but seemed different. He had not seen her before. Perhaps, she was a new member to the family of flowers. The bee stopped for a moment. He decided to go over and meet her. She turned out to be a very friendly little flower. She welcomed the bee heartily and asked about him. The bee felt very happy at her response. His heart felt glad to have met her. They exchanged their joys and shared their sorrows. In a short time, they became good friends. Now, it was time for the bee to return. He bid his new friend good-bye, and promised to return the next day.

The bee thought about her all the way while he flew back. He could not forget the way she smiled. It was so different, he pondered. It made him feel cared for. It made him feel special. He loved the way she treated him. He could not wait for the next day to meet her. He flew back again to the garden! To his surprise, he found the little rose was waiting for him. She was happy to see him back and smiled. The bee smiled back. The little flower had taught him how to smile! He finally bid good-bye and returned to his hive.

He was the happiest one among the lot, that night. Pretty excited, he left for his rose early next day. The scorching heat mattered no more! All he cared for was to meet his new friend, the little rose. As he reached the garden, he went straight to her. The little flower looked bigger! As he wondered, what made her grow so much in one night, the rose replied that it’s their friendship. The bee was elated and smiled in silence. The rose understood his smile. They smiled together. They talked for hours again, till the rose said it was time and he should leave to cater to his duties. The bee was not sad, for he knew his rose was right!

The bee and the rose became the best of friends. The bee flew everyday to the rose and always found her waiting for him!