Obi, the bee snuggled deeper into his honeycomb cell, pretending to be sick and lazy. "I'm too sick and feeling lazy to collect nectar today," he said, trying to sound convincing.
His siblings, Olive and Ollie, buzzed around him, teasing him. "Come on, Obi! You're not afraid of the snapping dragons, are you?" Ollie taunted.
Obi's mother, Beatrice, watched the exchange with knowing eyes. She flew over to Obi's cell and tell Olive and Ollie to stop teasing their brother.
Then she gently asked, "Obi, dear, what's really going on? She gently touch Obi's forehead. " You're not sick my dear. You're also not lazy, and you know it. You have been doing great with your task here in our hive, but you are bigger now, so you need to help your siblings in collecting nectars from the flower field."
Obi looked up at his mother, his eyes welling up with tears and fear. "I-I don't want to go near the snapdragon flowers Mama. I've seen them snaps from a distance yesterday and I'm scared."
Beatrice smiled warmly and gently stroked Obi's soft fuzzy head. "I know it's scary at first, but trust me, it's not as bad as you think. And I have just the thing to help you feel braver."
She went to her cell then handed Obi a tiny sword made from a piece of palm leaf.
Beatrice softly said, "This will be your mighty sword that I filled with my love. I might not be able to gather nectares with you and your siblings, but I will always be here when you come back. I can't wait listen to your adventures for today. I am sure you will have a nice story to share tonight at dinner time."
Encouraged by his mother's words, Obi's eyes widened as he took the sword, feeling a surge of courage.
"Remember, Obi, it's just scary at first," Beatrice said. "But once you face your fears, you'll realize that the snapdragon field is actually a beautiful place, full of delicious nectar."
Obi took a deep breath, grasped his sword tightly, and set off towards the snapdragon field. As he flew over the vibrant flowers, he gasped in wonder. The snapdragons were even more magnificent than he had imagined!
The tubular flowers comes in a variety of colors like white, yellow, pink, purple, red, and orange. It made the air smells sweeter too.
As he landed on a particularly plump flower, the snapdragon's petals shut with a loud snap. Obi jumped!, his heart racing... but then he realized that the snapdragon wasn't trying to eat him at all!
With new found confidence, Obi collected nectar from the snapdragon field, his sword by his side. He cheerfully collected as much as he could.
When he returned to the family hive, his thousand siblings cheered, including Olive and Ollie, while his mother beamed with pride.
"I told you it wouldn't be so bad," Beatrice said, smiling.
Obi grinned, feeling proud of himself for facing his fears. "Thanks, Mama. I couldn't have done it without you... and my mighty sword!"
