The Romance of the Pollinators
Once upon a time, there was a beautiful butterfly who loved to visit the flowers in the garden. She admired their colours, shapes, and scents, and felt happy whenever she saw them. She also liked to watch the honey bees who worked hard to collect nectar and pollen from the flowers. She wondered what they did with it, and how they lived.
One day, she decided to follow a honey bee who caught her eye. He was bigger and stronger than the other bees, and he had a bright yellow stripe on his back. She flew behind him as he flew from flower to flower, until he reached a big sunflower. He landed on the sunflower and began to suck the nectar from its centre.
The butterfly was curious and wanted to talk to him. She landed on the same sunflower and said, "Hello, Mr. Bee. What are you doing?"
The bee looked up and saw the butterfly. He was surprised and annoyed. He said, "Can't you see? I'm collecting nectar and pollen for my hive. This is my job. Who are you and what do you want?"
The butterfly was not offended by his tone. She said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you. I'm a butterfly, and I like to visit the flowers. I saw you flying around and I wanted to say hello. You have a very nice stripe on your back."
The bee felt a little flattered by her compliment. He said, "Thank you. I'm a worker bee, and this is my mark. It shows that I belong to the best hive in the garden. We make the best honey in the world. Do you like honey?"
The butterfly said, "I don't know. I've never tasted it. What is it like?"
The bee said, "It's sweet and delicious. It's the best thing you'll ever taste. Do you want to try some?"
The butterfly said, "Yes, please. That sounds very nice."
The bee said, "OK, then. Follow me. I'll take you to my hive and give you some honey. But you have to be careful. There are many dangers in the garden. There are birds, spiders, and humans who want to catch us and eat us. And there are other bees who don't like strangers. You have to stay close to me and do what I say."
The butterfly said, "OK, I'll do that. Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Bee."
The bee said, "You're welcome. And you can call me Buzz. What's your name?"
The butterfly said, "My name is Flutter. Nice to meet you, Buzz."
And so, Buzz and Flutter flew away from the sunflower and headed towards the hive. They did not notice that a human boy was watching them from behind a bush. He had a net in his hand, and he wanted to catch them. He waited for the right moment, and then he jumped out and swung his net at them.
Buzz saw the net and dodged it. He shouted, "Flutter, watch out! It's a human! He wants to catch us!"
Flutter was not as fast as Buzz. She did not see the net until it was too late. She got caught in the net and cried out, "Buzz, help me! I'm trapped!"
Buzz heard her cry and felt a surge of emotion. He realised that he liked Flutter more than he thought. He said, "Don't worry, Flutter. I'll save you. Hang on!"
He flew towards the net and stung the boy's hand. The boy screamed and dropped the net. Flutter fell to the ground, still tangled in the net. Buzz flew down and tried to free her. He said, "Flutter, are you OK? Are you hurt?"
Flutter said, "I'm OK, Buzz. Thank you for saving me. You're very brave."
Buzz said, "No, you're brave. You followed me to the hive, even though you didn't know what to expect. You trusted me, even though I was rude to you at first. You're very sweet."
Flutter said, "No, you're sweet. You shared your honey with me, even though you worked hard to make it. You helped me, even though you risked your life. You're very kind."
They looked into each other's eyes and felt a warm feeling in their hearts. They realised that they had fallen in love. They said, "I love you" at the same time, and then they kissed.
They hugged each other and flew away from the net. They decided to go back to the hive and tell the other bees about their love. They hoped that the other bees would accept them and let them live together. They also decided to gather the other butterflies and bees and tell them about the importance of nature. They wanted to share their love and happiness with everyone, and help to pollinate the flowers, fruits, and vegetables. They wanted to make the garden a paradise for all living things.
And they lived happily ever after.
The end.
