What You Want Me To Bee

A flower wants to be everyone's favorite color, but finds it harder than it sounds.

Once there was a nice field of flowers. Right next to the field of flowers there was a forest. Just inside the forest, there was a clearing where the sun trickled in for a couple of hours a day. Right in the middle of that clearing was a flower.

It was a very pretty flower, as most flowers are.

One day, a butterfly visited it.

“Hello Butterfly,” said the Flower.

“Well, hello,” said the Butterfly. “You look very pretty today.”

“Why, thank you,” said the Flower. “How sweet of you.”

“Oh, you’re welcome,” said the Butterfly. “Do you mind if I drink some of your nectar today?”

“Oh, please,” said the Flower. “By all means.”

As the butterfly was resting its wings, the Flower asked it a question.

“What is your favorite color?”

“Oh, I think it’s red,” said Butterfly.

“Then I’ll make myself red tomorrow,” said the Flower.

“Oh, you don’t need to do that,” said the Butterfly. “I like you just as you are.”

“Well, I would like to, since it’s your favorite color,” said the Flower.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow,” said the Butterfly.

They said goodbye.

The next morning, the Flower had managed to make itself red. It’s very hard work for a flower to change its color. The Flower used up so much energy changing her color; she accidentally slept past the sunrise.

She was very tired, but also very excited. She waited all day long for the Butterfly, but the Butterfly did not come.

Instead, a Hummingbird came and hovered in front of her.

“Hello Hummingbird,” said the Flower.

“Hi there,” said the Hummingbird. “Do you mind if I drink some of your nectar?”

“Oh, of course not,” said the Flower. “Please do.”

While the Hummingbird was drinking, the Flower asked it a question.

“What is your favorite color?” asked the Flower.

“Oh, I really like orange,” said the Hummingbird.

“Well then,” said the Flower. “Tomorrow, I will make myself orange.”

“Oh, you don’t need to do that for me,” said the Hummingbird. “You are very pretty in red.”

“I would really like to do it for you,” said Flower.

“Well, how sweet,” said the Hummingbird. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

They said goodbye.

The next morning, the Flower again managed to change its color. This time to orange.

It is hard work for a flower to change its color, and this time, the Flower used up so much energy making herself orange, that she accidentally slept until the sun was right above her.

She was tired, but also so excited to show the Hummingbird, but the Hummingbird did not come back.

Instead, a Bee landed on her petals.

“Hello Bee,” said the Flower.

“Hi,” said the Bee. “Hey, can I have some of your pollen?”

“Sure,” said the Flower. “Take all your legs can carry.”

And while the Bee was gathering pollen, the Flower asked it a question.

“What is your favorite color?” asked the Flower.

“Oh, I like all colors,” said the Bee. “Red, orange, yellow, pink, purple, all of them.”

“Oh,” said the Flower. “I’d like to try to make myself all those colors for you. Will you come back tomorrow and see me?

“You don’t have to do that for me,” said the Bee. “I think your color is great.”

“I would really like to do it for you,” said the Flower.

“That is so nice of you,” said the Bee. “I’ll come back tomorrow.”

They said goodbye.

That night, the Flower tried and tried to make herself all those color. It was hard enough to change into just one color. She just couldn’t do it, but she tried all night long. She collapsed, exhausted as the sun was about to come up.

She slept all day. In fact, she had used up so much energy trying to change her color that all the color drained out of her petals.

The Butterfly came back to see her, but couldn’t find her.

The Hummingbird came around looking for an orange flower, but did not spot her.

Finally the Bee came by. He buzzed and buzzed in circles. He remembered exactly where that beautiful flower had been the day before, but all he found was a wilted, grey-brown, dried up flower whose petals had fallen off.

He was hungry, so he buzzed away.

The Flower lay there motionless. She had no energy left. Even the sun that trickled in through the trees above her didn’t notice her. Neither did the other flowers in the field next to the forest. They went about their business laughing and giggling and attracting butterflies and bees and hummingbirds, as if nothing had happened.

A cow strolled into the area, slowly lowered her nose to the brown wilted flower, sniffed it a couple of times, and then ate it.

The End