Pip’s Third Tale

A short story by Ezra Nadav

A light adventure about teamwork, sweetness, and small shared moments.

On a bright spring day in Willow Glen, Pip sat on his favorite branch outside his oak tree hollow. The forest was alive with soft sounds — rustling leaves, distant birdsong, and the gentle hum of tiny wings moving somewhere nearby.

A cheerful bzzz! zipped past his ear.

Pip looked up just as a small golden bee swooped down and landed lightly beside him. She set down a little pollen ball as if placing a picnic basket on a table.

“Hello!” she chirped. “Mind if I take my lunch break here? The sun is perfect on this branch.”

“Of course,” Pip said. “I’m Pip.”

“Mellie,” the bee replied, giving a polite dip of her head. “Busy morning. Lots of flowers to check on. Even bees need a little break to keep buzzing happily.”

She opened her tiny pollen bundle, revealing a soft yellow ball and a glistening droplet of honey. She hummed contentedly as she nibbled.

Pip’s eyes widened. “You packed lunch?”

“Of course I did!” Mellie laughed. “Bees always share food. There’s no hive without teamwork. We gather, we make, we mix — everything sweet comes from all of us working together.”

Pip watched, fascinated. “But doesn’t that get confusing? Don’t you bump into each other?”

“Oh! All the time,” Mellie giggled, her wings fluttering. “But we figure it out. Every bee has a role. Some gather pollen. Some take care of little bees. Some tidy the hive. And some dance.”

“Dance?” Pip asked, leaning closer.

Mellie stood up on her six tiny feet and performed a little zig-zag wiggle. “It’s how we tell each other where the good flowers are. Teamwork, Pip! It makes everything sweeter.”

Pip considered this. He usually collected books alone, sorted them alone, read alone. He wasn’t unhappy — but something about Mellie’s bright energy tugged gently at his curiosity.

Then Mellie lifted her pollen ball and rolled it toward him. “Try a little honey?”

Pip gasped. “Oh, I couldn’t!”

“You can,” Mellie said, smiling. “Honey only happens because we all work together. It’s a gift made by many. Sharing it makes it taste even better.”

Gently, Pip touched the droplet with one paw and tasted it. Warm sunlight. Spring blossoms. A little spark of joy.

“Oh,” Pip whispered. “That is the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted.”

“That’s teamwork!” Mellie said. “Everyone adds a little something, and suddenly — magic.”

Pip felt something soft and bright settle inside his chest — a tiny piece of truth.

Mellie dusted her front legs and stretched. “Well! Lunch break over.” She lifted off gracefully, hovering in front of him. “Thanks for sharing your branch.”

“Thanks for sharing your lunch,” Pip said.

Mellie winked. “Remember: sweetness grows when we make it together.”

With a cheerful whirl, she zipped away toward the wildflowers.

Pip watched her go, thinking about honey, pollen, dancing bees, and the idea of many small pieces making something wonderful.

That afternoon, when a squirrel kit below struggled to carry a bundle of soft moss for a new nest, Pip scampered down.

“Need a paw?” he asked.

The kit beamed, and together they lifted the moss — light as a honeycomb when shared.

Pip felt the sweetness again, small and warm, exactly like Mellie had described.

And from that day on, whenever Pip looked at the books in his hollow or the friends in the forest, he remembered:

Some things are good on your own.

But working together?

That’s where the honey is.

The End.

For Now…..