"To·Mo·Da·Chi"

"To·Mo·Da·Chi"

Best Fairy Tale

by Yoshikazu Saito (Tokyo)

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It is already summer now. The sunflowers are in full bloom. To Bibi and the other honeybees, the nectar and pollen of sunflowers are a delicious treat. Bibi forgets everything in her excitement, flying back and forth from the nest to the sunflower field. Even when Taro tries to talk to her, she pays no attention to him at all. This makes Taro feel a little lonely.

Wondering, "Is the sunflower really that tasty?" Taro sniffs and sniffs and winds up with a lot of pollen on his sensitive nose. "Choo!" "Achoo!" "A-a-chooo!" Three big sneezes in a row.

Summer is almost over now. It is still very hot during the day, but at night the autumn insects have already started their chirping. Bibi has little energy these days. Some days she doesn't even go to see Taro. Taro is worried that she doesn't like him anymore or that maybe she is sick. Even when Bibi does come to visit, she is weak and can't even fly straight.
"Bibi, what's wrong? Are you feeling ill?" "Taro, I think it's time we say goodbye." "Are you moving?" Taro asks. "Are you leaving the hive?" "No, I cannot move anymore," Bibi says. "You're sick, aren't you? I'll find some medicine for you. Will a ribwort leaf work?"

"My life is coming to an end, Taro. Dogs may live 15 years I hear, but worker bees like us don't live more than six months. That's why..." "You're dying?" Taro asks in disbelief. "I won't ever see you again? You can't do that!" "I can't help it. But I think we are quickly reborn again as worker bees. We lose most of our memory of the past, but I'll never forget you, Taro. So promise me, if you see another worker bee that looks like me, please say hello." After saying this, Bibi flies away, never to return.

The seasons go by and it becomes spring again. Honeybees come to visit Taro in his yard. It is the third one today. Taro calls out: "Hi, I'm Taro the dog. Do you want to be my friend?" The honeybee flies on, ignoring him. "Watch out for spider webs!" he yells out. So Taro decides to wait patiently. Because he believes that one day he will see Bibi again.

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