I have always thought I was the cleverest of all. But in truth, I was the biggest fool, she said, looking up at the sky. A fun story, just for you.
Look at the coincidence: two trees stood face‑to‑face in the forest, each bearing a huge honey‑bee hive. Thousands of bees spent the day gathering nectar from many kinds of flowers, bringing it back to their own hives and leaving it there. Then the worker bees spent day and night turning that nectar into honey. Their queen, Rani, had given them this responsibility. Queen Rani was a beautiful, shining bee who taught everyone about fairness and hard work. Her hive was famous for producing the finest honey in the forest. Not far away, on another thick tree, another hive was ruled by Queen Zara. The two hives had always competed to see who collected more honey and whose hive was stronger and more organized.
One day a few of Zara’s bees flew near Rani’s hive and said mockingly,
“We heard you have less honey this time… Is it true that your bees are getting weak, and your queen is getting old?”
“Our hive is the hardest‑working in the whole forest, and it will never be weak!” Rani’s guard bees answered proudly.
“Fine… then why don’t we have a contest? Let’s see, by the next full moon, who gathers more honey. The loser will send all its worker bees to help the winner. That is Queen Zara’s challenge for you!” Zara’s messenger bees announced and flew away.
The news reached Queen Rani at once. The hive buzzed with excitement. All the bees gathered around her.
“This is the time to prove we are the most diligent and powerful! All worker bees, start working right away. Those of you who make a hundred grams of honey each day must now push yourselves to make one‑hundred‑and‑fifty grams daily!” Rani ordered, assigning everyone different duties.
In Rani’s hive there was a bee named Babli, the hardest‑working of all. She was the first to start her tasks each morning, flying out early to sip nectar from apple and almond trees—a very tough job that Babli performed perfectly, always trying to collect the most nectar. In contrast, there was a bee named Zom, clever but lazy. Zom thought that if she could get more honey by trickery, she would become the pride of Queen Rani.
In the dark of night, Zom slipped into the cells of other bees and began stealing their honey. Within a few days, she had gathered more honey than anyone else.
Meanwhile, Zara’s bees were also looking for a chance. They hid and watched Rani’s hive, waiting for a moment to try stealing some honey.
One day Babli caught Zom stealing honey.
“Zom! What are you doing? This is cheating!” Babli shouted angrily.
"To win, you have to be clever and sometimes use tricks!" Zom laughed back. Babli was angry, but she thought it best to take the matter to the queen.
The deadline set by Queen Zara was now near. The bees from both hives had already gathered a huge amount of honey. The bees of Queen Rani had done their duty honestly, except for Zom. The bees of Queen Zara had spent most of their time cheating to collect honey. Still, they could not gather more honey than Rani’s hive.
One night Zara’s bees could not stay quiet. They slipped in silently and attacked Rani’s hive!
"We want all your honey!" the soldier bees of Queen Zara shouted as they charged. The soldier bees of Queen Rani readied themselves. The air roared like a great storm. The two hives clashed. Babli fought bravely, but suddenly she saw Zom hiding and pulling back!
"Zom! Why aren’t you fighting?" Babli cried.
"This isn’t my job… I won’t put myself in danger!" Zom replied, making excuses and cowering.
At that moment, the guard bee Ma’mur Ghosh arrived at the hive’s watch post and told Queen Rani about Zom’s cowardice and theft. Queen Rani, furious, announced:
"There is no place for cheaters in our hive! When this war ends, we will deal with them."
Meanwhile, Babli and the other soldier bees fought valiantly, and eventually Zara’s bees were forced to retreat. Queen Zara’s bees had admitted defeat, though a rivalry still lingered.
Queen Rani called all the protectors and worker bees to gather in her hive. In moments they were all together.
"Congratulations to all of you… this is the reward for your honesty and bravery. To celebrate this victory, you all get a day off," Queen Rani declared, and joy spread through the hive.
"But…" she continued, "I have learned that Zom showed great cowardice in this battle and, worse, stole honey by cheating and kept it in her own cell." Her tone was fierce. "I order Zom to leave my hive because of this mistake. Protectors… throw Zom out of the hive at once and never let her return."
The order was carried out, and a few guard bees lifted Zom and tossed her out of the hive.
Queen Zara was not ready to accept defeat. When her bees returned, Queen Zara lashed out at her own protectors and soldiers.
"You have all admitted defeat and crushed my pride," Queen Zara said bitterly. "I am not one to surrender so quickly. You must return at once, defeat Queen Rani, and bring back every drop of honey from her hive."
Her workers were just about to launch their attack when a grey haze drifted in. Panic spread through the hive. The smoke thickened with each passing moment, choking the bees. Queen Zara, startled by the sudden disaster, rushed out of the hive. There, perched on a tree, she saw a few humans holding spears, smoke pouring from their weapons. It did not take her long to realize they had come to hunt, but now they were the ones being hunted. A single thought flashed through her mind: all the honey in her hive was now in the hands of those humans. Like the other bees, she swooned and fell to the ground.
*
From her own hive, Queen Rani watched the humans’ treatment of Queen Zara’s hive.
"Babli… what should we do now?" she asked the cat that stood nearby.
"Your Majesty, Queen Zara has done us great wrong. What is happening to her is the justice she deserves," Babli replied. Yet Queen Rani was deep in thought. Suddenly she saw Queen Zara collapsing, unconscious, on the ground.
"Quickly, lift her up before she hits the earth," Queen Rani ordered. Babli and three or four bees darted forward, caught Zara mid‑fall, and cradled her safely.
When Zara opened her eyes, she found herself in a protected spot surrounded by several guard bees.
"Where… am I?" she asked.
"In Queen Rani’s hive," Babli answered. The revelation struck Zara with shock. At that moment Queen Rani arrived beside her.
"How do you feel now, Queen Zara?"
"Much better… but I am still your enemy. Why did you save me? What happened to my hive? Did the humans take it?" Zara asked.
"Your hive’s name and sign have been erased. The humans have probably already bottled the honey. As for the rivalry, that is the only difference between us," Queen Rani said, and Zara felt a pang of remorse.
"Truly, my jealousy drove me so far that I lost any sense of compassion. I was so careless I didn’t even notice the humans’ attack. I am ashamed. Please forgive me, Queen Rani," Zara said, genuinely remorseful.
"Go… you are forgiven!" Queen Rani declared.
"But now I have no hive and no bees under me. What will I do?" Zara said sadly.
"If you wish to work as my subordinate, you may," Queen Rani offered.
"Agreed, Your Majesty!" Zara replied, and all the bees nearby laughed. Shame colored her eyes.
"I always thought I was the cleverest," she said, looking up at the sky. "But I was really the biggest fool."
"True wisdom is learning from our mistakes and choosing a new path," Queen Rani smiled. "Your reign is over, but you can still build a fresh life with your own effort."
"I promise I will work only honestly from now on," Zara said, bowing her head.
"That is the secret of our success—honesty, hard work, and kindness!" Bubbly exclaimed.