CHAPTER 1
Episode One
Like many of us, Belinda Bee was a hard-working bee. Every morning at dawn she would head out looking for nectar and pollen, and she would return back to the hive when the sun went down, just plain exhausted from a long day of work. Some days she was lucky and found nectar close to the hive. Other days she would have to fly far, far away to collect only the tiniest bit of pollen from far-off fields.
One day Belinda headed out in search for nectar just as she had done every morning of her working life. As she rushed out of the hive, she passed the honey tasters who were enjoying a relaxed cup of honey before work. The sight of them filled Belinda with envy, and she left the hive feeling extremely unhappy with her life. Oh, she knew that she had a fairly important job for which she should be grateful; but in her heart she yearned to accomplish more. She wanted more out of life than what she was getting. She dreamed of a better life, of being a respected individual in the bee society, and of living a comfortable, fulfilling existence. She was tired of settling for mediocrity. She wanted to move past the current boundaries of her day-to-day world and reach for the stars. But, like so many of us, she was held back by her fears, convinced that her dream was just unattainable.
Thoroughly depressed, Belinda buzzed halfheartedly along from one garden to the next, ruminating. She wished that there was some way she could change her life and become the bee she yearned to be. The more she thought about everything, the more depressed she became. But she just couldn't believe that she could rise above her circumstances and attain the life she had always dreamed of having. She just hadn't been born with the right set of skills to be more than a humble and ordinary bee, or so she thought ...
CHAPTER 2
Episode Two
That evening Belinda returned to the hive, only to be shocked at the utter chaos that met her. Her fellow bees were buzzing hither and thither in a total state of panic.
"What's going on? What happened?" Belinda asked one of the guards near the entrance of the hive.
"We're all going starve!" the guard exclaimed in a panic.
"What do you mean? I don't understand."
"The farmer collected the honey earlier than normal! He took most of the honey! He's left us with almost no food!" The guard began to weep, completely beside himself with fear.
"The farmer took all of the honey? But why'd he do that? How are we going to feed everyone if there is no honey?!" The magnitude of the catastrophe began to tighten its grip on Belinda.
"That's not the worst of it!" The guard's eyes were wide with fright. "The larvae is hatching within the next seven days! They will all die if there's nothing to eat!" He buzzed off in state of panic.
"This is a disaster," Belinda said to herself, finding a path through the chaos. She couldn't begin to imagine what their immediate future looked like—it was too horrible to even picture!
Belinda stood in the center of the hive and watched in shock as everyone buzzed wildly in circles, too blind with terror to think logically about the situation. The longer Belinda watched, the more overwhelming became her concern for the wellbeing of the hive. Suddenly, she realized that someone needed to take control and restore order to the hive. It was clear that the hive wasn't capable of leading itself! She knew that buzzing about in panic was not going to solve their problem. She had an irresistible desire to restore order. The bees needed someone to lead them—someone had to come up with a solution to their problem.
The queen! How could I forget? Belinda felt relief wash over her. As their leader, the queen would know what to do! Hope was burning high in her heart as she rushed off to speak to the queen.
Arriving at the royal egg chamber, Belinda found the queen busy laying a new batch of eggs. Belinda kneeled elegantly in front of her.
"My Queen, I'm sorry to disturb you, but the hive is in complete chaos. We need you to take control!" Even Belinda's great respect and restraint could not conceal her distress.
"Yes, I am aware of what is going on. The farmer has really created a huge problem for us," the queen answered, momentarily pausing in her task. "I just don't know what to do," she admitted, her eyes clouded with fear. "It is impossible for me to cease laying eggs midway through the process."
"But, my Queen, we have no food! The entire hive is in disarray! No one knows what to do!" Belinda was perplexed at the queen's unwillingness to take control of her kingdom and address the situation.
"I understand the magnitude of the problem, but, as you can see, I'm completely occupied," the queen sighed heavily. She then fixed Belinda with a direct stare. "Belinda, I need you to step in for me. You must take control of the hive and find a solution to our problem."
"What? Me? But I don't know the first thing about leading a hive!" Belinda shook her head in disbelief.
"Belinda, each of us is born with the potential to do great things. Most of us never get to use or discover that potential because we never find ourselves in a situation where life demands it of us. Life in our hive has now changed in a most unfortunate manner. This will demand more from all of us. We will have to move out of our comfort zones and grow along with our new circumstances. We can only hope that in the process we will develop and become better than what we used to be." The queen was most solemn and forthright. "Belinda, instead of losing your self to panic and buzzing around with your fellow bees, you came here in search of a solution. That indicates to me that you have heaps of untapped potential just waiting to be uncovered. You are a diamond in the rough. You are on the verge of being cut and polished—and you will shine! I believe in you! I know you won't let me down! Now, go forth! Lead the hive! Find the solution to our problem."
"I will do as you ask, my Queen. I will do my best not to let you down." Belinda backed out of the chamber in a daze. How in the world she was going to be able to fulfill such an enormous promise?
CHAPTER 3
Episode Three
The responsibility and magnitude of her task weighed heavily on Belinda as she left the queen behind in the royal egg chamber. She was only one little bee. How on earth was she going to lead the hive and save them from starvation?
Feeling the panic of the hive closing in on her, Belinda zoomed out into the cool evening air. She needed time to think. Aimlessly flying through the dark, she felt fear surrounding her like a giant net, capturing her mind and making it hard for her to think creatively as she tried to come up with a plan to save the hive.
It wasn't long before Belinda realized that she was getting nowhere on her own. She needed help. In her daily work, she had become a frequent visitor to the garden of a man named David. Over time the two of them had become good friends. Perhaps David would be able to...
