Once upon a time there lived a girl called Marusya. From morning till evening she pestered both her mum and dad with her questions.
Why is it dark at night and light during the day?
Why does a caterpillar turn into a butterfly?
What are whiskers for on a cat?
Why does it snow in winter?
But what interested Marusya most of all were bees, because she didn't like them and was afraid of them.
So she bombarded her mum and dad with questions:
Are bees kind or mean?
Why do they sting?
And why do they fly over flowers?
And is it true that bees make honey?
And then one day a little bee flew in through the window of Marusya's room. It was buzzing and fluttering against the glass, but couldn't get out. Marusya plucked up courage, went up to the bee and asked:
Did you come to visit me? Or do you want to sting me?
Goodness, no!
The little bee fluttered its wings.
I don't want to sting you at all. The wind accidentally blew me in through your window. I was actually flying to work – over to those flowers
The bee pointed to the flower bed.
What do you need the flowers for?
Marusya was surprised.
Do you eat them?
No, of course not!
The bee laughed again.
I collect sweet nectar from the flowers. I take it to the hive. There the nectar turns into honey.
Would you like to help me?
The bee suddenly asked.
Of course I would!
The girl clapped her hands.
But will I be able to do it?
You will! You will!
The bee reassured her. Then it landed on Marusya's palm and sang out:
One, two, three! Become a bee and fly with me!
In that very instant Marusya turned into a little bee. They flew out of the window and headed towards the flower bed. They flew from flower to flower, collecting nectar and taking it to the hive. Marusya lost count of how many times she flew back and forth. But there was no time to rest – while the day lasted, the nectar had to be collected. Otherwise in the evening the flowers would close – then you couldn't get the nectar. And the hive closes for the night too, the bees need to rest and regain their strength.
The bees worked until evening, and Marusya worked with them. She was tired, exhausted – she had no strength left! But here's the thing: this tiredness was so pleasant! Marusya had never experienced anything like it before. Her little arms and legs were filled with a wonderful languor, and her heart felt happy and joyful!
The bee flew up to Marusya and said:
Thank you for your help! But now it's time for everyone to go home. One, two, three, four, five! Become a human again!
The girl didn't even have time to blink before she found herself back in her room.
After this adventure she stopped being afraid of bees. On the contrary, Marusya began to respect them. After all, they work all the time and bring great benefit: they pollinate flowers, collect nectar and make honey!
