A bee can fly over three miles from the hive in search of food. They have preferences and are willing to go the extra distance for one pollen when another is much closer. It's like going out for pizza when you have Brussel sprouts at home.

* * *

The stars alone cut through the crisp darkness, of the night sky. The bees gathered deep in their hive.

Everyone was so quiet, eagerly waiting for the queen's nightly story.

"Would you like to hear the first story I ever heard?" asked the queen.

They all agreed they would.

"This story has a special meaning to me, because it was in this very hive I first heard it," the queen told her subjects.

The other bees who were still awake perked up at this.

"It is the story of the Duwaiha," she said, as she started her tale.

* * *

It was a cloudy day and Maybee had just returned from gathering propolis when the queen approached her.

"Maybee, can I have a word with you," asked the queen.

"Of course, ma'am," replied Maybee.

The queen pulled Maybee to the deepest corner of the hive, telling her attendants that they were not needed and reassuring them that she would be all right.

The queen leaned into Maybee, "I apologize for being discreet, but I have a problem that I was hoping you could help me with," stated the queen.

"Anything, how may I help?" asked Maybee.

"First, I must ask you to promise this will stay only between us?" The queen leaned in as she spoke these words.

"By all means," Maybee nodded in the way only bees could. "I would never..."

"Certainly, but I must be sure in these matters. You see, all of my eggs are hatching into drones," said the queen, in a cold interrupting tone.

"What? I don't understand."

"Every single one, a drone. Not a worker among them,"

"How can that be?"

She shook her head. "I haven't a clue. As hard as I try I can't produce a worker,"

"I'm confused, how can I help?"

"I can't leave the hive. If I did everyone would know that something was going on. I need you to go speak with Veha and get her advice,"

"I shall leave right away,"

"Thank you Maybee, please hurry back," With that the Queen turned and walked away.

Maybee bowed and left.

Outside the hive it was a bit stormy, Maybee had to struggle as she flew towards the only person she knew to ask for help. She battled small drops of rain and light winds, but to a bee even this is still dangerous. It would be impossible to maneuver in heavy rain and strong winds. A single drop of rain crashing into a bee would cause it to plummet into the ground, and in strong winds a bee is at its mercy, forced to go wherever it leads it. At least they can force themselves through the light winds and dodge small drops of rain. With a gust she pushed through a wall of wind and caught an updraft on the other side. The updraft forced her up into the clouds yawing and pitching her over and over again. In the whiteness of the clouds one can lose themselves. It may be hard to understand with gravity in play but a bee can forget which way is up and which way is down. it's much easier than you might think with winds pitching you around. This is why you rarely see a bee at this altitude. That, and there is no pollen or nectar up that high to gather, so there is no reason to be there.

She struggled against it not knowing if it was the right thing to do but doing it anyway because it was in her nature to fight against anyone or anything that tried to make her do something against her will. She pushed and fought it only succeeding in failing miserably. The wind pushed her up and free from the clouds and set her down on a river of wind that gently flowed toward where she had always intended to go. Toward Veha, the goddess of the sky.

This was a great surprise to Maybee and hadn't even fully realized what was going on when Veha spoke to her.

"Hello Maybee," said Veha

"Oh, hello," said Maybee, still trying to gather her bearings. It was hard to speak to a goddess that couldn't be seen "I was just coming to see you."

"Then why did you try to fight me," asked Veha.

"I didn't," said Maybee.

"But you did. Every time I sent the winds for you, you fought against them.

"That was you?"

"Of course, I am the carrier of pollen, the daughter of Juai. the winds belong to me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I was coming here to seek your help," Maybee spoke as a soft wind caressed her face.

"As I was sending the winds for you so I could seek yours,"

"You need my help?" asked Maybee.

"I do,"

"What is it?"

"Let's get to yours first. If I'm going to ask a favor of you, It's only fair that I try to help you with yours first," said Veha.

"Thank you Veha, I have come here on behalf of my queen."

"What does your queen ask of me?"

"She is having a problem producing workers, all of her eggs are hatching into drones,"

"That is very peculiar. I will look into it."

"Thank you,"

"I have another peculiar problem. The flowers are refusing to bloom." Veha stated.

"I haven't noticed the flowers not blooming," said Maybee.

"Apparently it's been going on for a while. As the old ones die away, there are no new ones to take their place. If you hadn't been looking for it, you probably wouldn't of noticed it. It was only after a hummingbird noticed that the morning glories weren't opening back up during the day that I was informed," said Veha.

"I have noticed the dandelions remaining closed, but they are already so finicky that I paid no heed to them. What do you need me to do," asked Maybee.

"I need you to seek out the king of the earwigs and ask him if he knows anything. As he has ears everywhere. I would've had the hummingbirds do it, but the earwigs don't trust the hummingbirds due to their..."

"Tendency to eat bugs," interrupted Maybee with a knowing tone.

Veha let out a sigh, "Indeed."

"Very well, I'll do it. Is there anything else?"

"That is all I have for you," said Veha.

"I guess I will be on my way then."

"I wish you luck, Maybee. I shall ask the winds to ride at your back,"

"Thank you," Maybee replied and then was off.

She flew on toward the earwig king whose kingdom reached far but started at Water's Edge. With the winds at her back she barely had to flutter a wing. It took almost no time at all. Soon she saw the great downed tree that was the kings home. She pitched herself downward and yawed slightly to the right spiraling herself toward the entrance of the log. As she landed she was met by two guards.

"Halt," cried a portly beetle.

Maybee made no motion.

"What's your business here," asked an earwig guard, it's pinchers at the ready.

"Veha has sent me. I have come to speak with the king," she said in her most respectful tone.

The two guards lowered their pinchers.

"What is your name," asked the earwig.

"I am Maybee. I'm from the great tree."

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"Well Maybee of the great tree, I shall have you shown the way," The guard nodded at the beetle. The beetle guard then made a gesture by throwing its head in the direction of the opening. "Get going," he said in that rough tone that beetles always carried. "Just know that within these wall you are greatly outnumbered. If you should try anything you will be overrun within the beat of a heart,"

Maybee nodded as she entered, "Friendly place, you have here."

"Welcome to Perish," the guards tone even more gruff, ignoring her comment.

Maybee walked down the core of the tree with the beetle guard following behind. The place was enormous, and it wasn't just earwigs that lived here. Unlike Burntwood this place was filled with all sorts of insects that milled before her. Trails took off in every direction. Most of them even to small for Maybee to follow, and beetle larvae tracks spider-webbed the inside of the tree.

She noticed that all the insects appeared to be staring at her. In fact, she was the center of everyone's attention. She paid them no heed, or at least she pretended to. Their stares made her very uncomfortable, and their whispers made it almost downright unbearable. What was she to do? She wondered if they had never seen a bee before. Then she realized that it was very possible that they hadn't, living their entire life in this log, and even if they had, definitely never seen one inside the tree before. She couldn't think of a single reason why any bee would ever visit this place, not until now.

"How much further," she asked the guard.

"Not much," he replied. "Just over the next rise."

They continued on and when they crested the hill of decomposed wood, she could see where the trail had been pinched down into a smaller opening. Outside two beetles stood guard. Maybee stopped before them. Her escort was the one that addressed them.

"I've got one to see the king."

The beetles gave a slight bow and Maybee's escort gave a motion for her to continue on. She continued on through the opening and into a tunnel that was just large enough for the largest of beetles to make it through and not a touch bigger. It continued on for a while winding around back and forth before opening up into a great space. Before her a single earwig resting on a large knot of wood that had refused to rot away. Other insects stood before him. Their conversation was not over heard by Maybee or if it was it was not understood as they only spoke a fragment before she walked in. Then they were silent.

"Who do we have here," asked the king.

The guard nudged her forward.

"I am Maybee of the great tree. Veha has sent me," said the frightened bee.

"Well, what is it I can do for you Maybee of the great tree," asked the king.

"I pardon the interruption your majesty, but I have come looking for answers."

"Yes, yes." The king motioned her to continue on.

"Veha has sent me to ask if you know why the flowers refuse to bloom," Maybee said and then bowed in a hasty forgetful manner.

"I do know why the flowers are refusing to open," said the king.

"Why?" asked Maybee.

"What do I get in return for my information."

"My apologies," Maybee looked up at the king "What would you like?"

"I notice that you bees like to build your homes within the dark recesses of trees, yet you let no others live with you."

Maybee said nothing.

"This to me is unsettling as I have so many in need of homes."

"You would like others to live with us?" asked Maybee.

"I believe it would be beneficial to both parties, but if you don't there will be no ill will held toward you and you will be free to go."

"But what of my question," asked Maybee. It is not me who seeks the answer but Veha.

"You may not seek the answer but you need to know more than any other."

"I understand the need for flowers, but the answer I seek is much different from the one I asked. The one my queen has sent me to find."

"Oh, and what is that," asked the king.

Maybee took a long pause wondering if she should say before blurting out the words, "My queen can produce no workers."

The king studied her words.

"Every egg she lays hatches into a drone."

"My dear, the flowers refuse to bloom and your queen can produce no workers. Do you really think that theses things are not related? You ask two questions but seek the same answer.

"What is that?"

"Do I have your word," asked the king.

"You have my word. I cannot speak for my queen, but if what you tell is true, I will do everything I can to make sure your people will have a home in my hive and every hive after. Yet I reserve the right to take back my words if your people become a nuisance in any way."

"If anyone else had given those terms, I would not have accepted them, but the stories of your honorable deeds has reached my ears long before your presence here," said the king.

"Does that mean you will tell me what I need to know?"

"It does," responded the king.

Maybee waited in silence for her answer.

"They will not open because they are upset, they feel like they are being taken advantage of?"

"They told this to you," asked Maybee.

"Not in words, but when you spend as much time with them as we do you get to understand their language," said the king.

Maybee looked on.

"You couldn't begin to understand. You visit so many flowers in a day but never spend enough time with a single one to get to know it."

"What must we do to make them open?"

"You can't make them do anything, if they don't want to," said the king.

Maybee was silent for a moment and thought before asking a very simple question.

"What must I do to make them want to open?"

"Ahh, now that is a question indeed," said the great king. "What do you think you must do?"

"I have no idea, except to talk to them and I have no idea on how to do that."

"Do not talk, only listen," said the king.

"And what of my other problem?"

"By answering one you will answer the other." The king looked over at a termite that had just entered. "Now if you'll excuse me I have other business."

The guard who had escorted Maybee in now stepped closer to her and made a gesture with his body for her to go first, in the most polite way possible.

Maybee was so confused as she turned and left, with the guard following behind. She still had no idea how she was going to fix any of this. Down the narrow passage she stumbled continuing on through the great hall oblivious to all those who stared, and right out the opening. The guard stopped there, but she continued on still staggering and not really seeing where she was going. Although she could fly it took her some time to realize that fact. Then up in the air she went. She must find a flower.

She looked everywhere trying to spot a single flower, but the dandelions all remained closed, the apple blossoms had all fallen away, not even a single clover was in bloom. Just yesterday she had been out working the fields and now not a single one was left. She flew down closer to the only flowers that existed at all, the dandelions.

She landed on one and knocked on its closed pod. It didn't open.

"Please open up." she begged

Her pleas made no difference as the flower couldn't hear. At this point she had no idea what to do, so she tried anything and everything including trying to pry it open with brute force and, although she would never admit to it, gnawing on it. Nothing seemed to work.

It wasn't until the wind picked up that she noticed the other dandelions loosen up. She flew up to gather a better gander, but the wind caught her and sent her for a loop. By the time she caught herself and looked down she noticed they had opened up partially. She flew down to take a closer look, and the flower closed back up. She tried another, and it closed too. She tried yet another and another each closing before she could get to them. She flew up to take another look only to get caught by the wind again. She wasn't sure if it wanted to take her away. It was possible Veha had sent it for her. Even so she was not ready to go. She turned against it, spiraling around. The flowers began to open again. She pitched a yawed against the wind as she tried to maintain her ground. the flowers continued to open. She sank down lower and they began to close. She rose back up, and they began to open up again. She rose even higher doing spins and flips, even a few rolls. The flowers opened up wide as if they had opened their eyes to watch her. She continued on with her acrobatic feats long after the small patch of flowers beneath her had opened up to their fullest. Only then did she make her way with caution toward the flowers which continued to remained open. She sat down lightly upon one and it began to close up. She circled around caressing the petals and the flower relaxed.

Excited she took leave of the flower and flew higher than before. High enough for the entire field to see her. There she continued her dance, putting on a show like no other, and as she danced the flowers beneath her opened up in a matter so grand that it was a sight to be seen. She took off even higher, high above the tallest trees. There she again performed her act that had enticed so many of the flowers only moments before. When she was done she looked around, but she was so high she couldn't tell if the flowers had opened up or not. She flew back down only to see they had barely opened at all.

She was dismayed for sure but hardly heartbroken. She knew what needed to be done and how to do it. She flew back to Veha with such a fever that she worried she would tatter her wings. When she reached her, she tried to speak too fast and the air she expelled to speak was met by the air she gasped to breathe.

"I can wait, there is no hurry," said Veha.

Maybee took a few deep gulps of air before catching her breath.

"I figured it out. We just have to dance for the flowers. They want to feel appreciated," said an exhausted bee.

"That is magnificent news," said Veha. "I will have to tell the hummingbirds right away."

"Veha," asked Maybee. "Have you found any reason for that thing we talked about?"

"I'm sorry, but I haven't been able to find any reason why your queen can only produce drones, but I have found out all the other honeybee queens share in her misfortune."

"There must be something," cried Maybee.

"I'm afraid not. Not at this time anyway, but I will keep looking. Now if you'll excuse me, I must tell the hummingbirds. They haven't eaten in so very long. Thank you again Maybee." Her voice fading as she left.

How would she ever tell her queen she had failed, but she must? It was with a heavy heart she entered the hive. A very busy hive. She made her way to the Queen who noticed her directly.

"Oh thank goodness you're back," exclaimed the queen.

"Yes I'm back," said a meek Maybee.

"Do you have any news?"

"No I'm sorry, I wasn't able to find out about the drones," Maybee said in a quiet tone.

"What? No. I'm not talking about that. I mean, Yes I'm still worried about that, but in the grand scheme of things it is not exactly a priority right now," said a stressed out queen

"Why? What's going on?"

"The flowers have all closed. There is no where to get food."

"Oh, that," said Maybee in a calm tone that upset the queen.

"I don't think you understand how much these drones eat. Our reserves will be gone before winter,"

"No, I didn't mean it like that. It's just, I already solved that problem." said Maybee with a sly grin.

"You what," asked an astonished and somewhat disbelieving queen.

"I solved it," she said again, even slyer this time. "All you have to do is dance for them."

"Dance," repeated the queen.

"Yup, send as many bees with you as you can and have them dance for the flowers and they should open up."

"I can't spare any bees, all of them are out looking for food anywhere they can," said the queen.

"What about the drones," asked Maybee. "They're not doing anything."

"You're right, they never do anything. Time for them to earn their keep."

"If you take the drones as high as you can above the great field I will go from hive to hive and have others join you. The more bees we have dancing the better chance we have of convincing the flowers to stay open," said Maybee.

The queen agreed. She followed Maybee's instructions and soon other bees joined her, queens and drones from each and every hive, and they danced. Oh, how they danced. They danced for so long and for so hard that one by one the drones fell from the sky due to exhaustion as they were not used to such strenuous activity.

Not only did the flowers see the great dance, but they loved it. Each one opening wide in applause. As the flowers opened, the wind picked up their bouquet, bringing a sweetness to the already warm air. When the dance was done, the queens returned to their hives followed by the few drones that remained while the flowers remained open waiting for an encore.

* * *

"And that is how Maybee convinced the flowers to open up," said the queen.

"But what about the other thing," asked one of the bees who was still awake.

"The other thing," asked the queen.

"About the drones," said another, barely awake.

"Oh, yes. Funny thing about that. When each queen made it back to their hive, they found they could lay workers again. They couldn't quite explain it and the flowers weren't telling, but ever since then a new queen will take her first flight high above the flowers to do the dance of the Duwaiha. She will do this dance with drones of other hives to ensure she will be able to lay worker bees and that the flowers will never again remain closed."

She looked around at her children who were asleep around her.

"I have always liked that story," said an earwig who had been listening in the distance.

"Me too," she said.