A Wonderment of Bees
Sachie loved her Granddad’s stories about the bad old days. He was so dramatic.
“Every kind of pollution. Noise pollution, light pollution, air pollution, water pollution, mind pollution. That last one was the worst, and probably the cause of all the others. People hung onto their terrible habits, even though their way of life was killing them.”
Sachie looked up at the dark sky, filled with millions of twinkling stars. “Couldn’t see any of those in the bad old days, could you?”
“Nope. Nor hear that.” Granddad indicated a night concert of owls, tree frogs and a distant train whistle. “Blessed quiet and dark, since we moved away from cars and created dark-sky sanctuaries. Back then you couldn’t hear yourself think or see a single star. But we’d best be heading for bed. Tomorrow’s a big day!”
The next day began as usual. Soon after sunrise, Sachie’s parents, Jess and Nikko, were out hand-pollinating the squash, cucumbers, melons and tomatoes. Sachie watched her Mom run her dry paintbrush over the inside of a male blossom to collect the pollen, then lightly roll the brush around the female blossom.
“We’ll have a great crop later this summer!”
Granddad told her of a time when the vegetables didn’t bear, the flowers were dying, people were going hungry.
“We lost so many bees, Munchkin. No bees to pollinate, soon there would have been no humans! But today we’re changing that!”
Sachie, Granddad, Jess and Nikko rode their bikes to the center of the settlement, where all their fellow Pollis were gathered for the big event. After years of carefully mending the soil, hand-pollinating the most bee-worthy flowers and vegetables, the beekeepers were ready to release the bee colony into the human colony.
Sachie heard a buzzing and humming and watched the swarm head for the gardens that surrounded the earth homes and windmills and shade trees.
“They like my weeds the best!” Sachie laughed. It had been her idea to let all the weeds flourish. She thought the dandelions and clover and goldenrod were just as beautiful as the roses and peonies!
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleA heartfelt tale of the power of bees in our lives. Great description of the beautiful sights and sounds of the natural world.

This is at the same time a pessimistic and optimistic picture of the future, Juma. Let’s hope the destruction of our Earth doesn’t go that far, but if it does, we need people like Sachie and her family to take care of it. Great writing!
What Sachie’s granddad called the “bad old days” are pretty much the world I see around me today. Not pessimistic, realistic! It may be cleaner and darker and quieter in your beautiful mountainside in Colombia – I hope so! But here in the eastern US, I haven’t seen the Milky Way or an abundance of stars in many years. My neighborhood is quiet at night, but two miles away is lots of… Read more »
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThis is a wonderful story, Juma, a real joy to read. It left me feeling hope for the world. Loved it, very nicely done indeed!
Thank you so much, Carrie. I loved researching the dark-sky sanctuaries – places where no lights are allowed at night for a huge expanse of area. People go there to sky watch – I would so love to take a trip to New Zealand to see the stars again! Of course, the Southern Hemisphere constellations are different than those I’m used to. But any star watching would be nice!
I would love to see the Aurora Borealis. I love to see the stars too. Best I ever saw them was when I was camping on the west coast of Scotland as a child. Witnessing the Perseids was incredible up there!
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleA thought-provoking story, Juma, that gives us a glimpse of what our future might be. Action to protect our bees, thankfully, is now being taken. Sachie’s family brings hope that if the worse came to the worse, these are who we will rely on the most. Beautiful writing and I really loved the final paragraph.
Thank you, LInda. I’m so glad you loved the final paragraph. I’ve never been a beekeeper like Allan, but I have studied bees for many years now. One thing I read recently: “One reason for the current scarcity of bees is our carefully manicured lawns!” The article went on to say which weeds you should leave to give the bees the best chance to thrive. The list included clover, dandelions and goldenrod.… Read more »
It’s the same with the moths and butterflies. Many of them are reliant on ‘weeds’ as foodplants and humans are decimating verges and meadows. We need to think about our little friends because life without them, as your story describes will be very difficult!
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleLovely story, Juma. And it is full of hope for the future. Well done, Juma.
Lotchie
Thank you so much, Lotchie. I do have hope for our future. I see signs of improvement, and people’s attitudes are changing.
Juma, I enjoyed reading this. There is such a hopeful feel to it. I loved the line “After years of carefully mending the soil, hand-pollinating the most bee-worthy flowers and vegetables, the beekeepers were ready to release the bee colony into the human colony.” This is a stunning, hopeful story.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleI so appreciate your comment, Marianna. As I told Lotchie, I do have hope for our future. Many of us are making changes that can make a difference. Just caring is a really good start!
Congratulations, Juma. So glad to see this story on the virtual podium.
Thank you so much, Carrie. Now I must comment on my favorite story of yours!
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleCongratulations Juma. A beautifully written story.
Thank you, Linda. Congratulations on your win as well!! I am in good company.
Congratulations on your win, Juma.
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To Leave Comments - Please SignIn with GoogleThank you, Lotchie. You are so sweet, as always.
You are welcome, Juma.
Congratulations to the well deserved success with your thoughtful and insightful story, Juma. I especially admire your talent to create natural and strong dialogue.
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