Mr Bear and Honey

Everybody knows that bears love honey. And no bear loved it more than Mr. Bear.

One bright morning, he woke up with a rumbling belly, dreaming of a sweet, golden breakfast. Humming a happy tune, he opened his cupboard, expecting to find his treasured honey jar. But to his horror—it was empty! "Oh no! No honey!" he cried, his heart sinking.

Determined to fix the situation, Mr. Bear marched into the forest, nose twitching as he sniffed the air for the scent of honey. 

It wasn’t long before his keen nose led him to a towering tree with a beehive hanging from one of its branches. "Honey!" he muttered, licking his lips. Without a second thought, he stuck his paw into the hive.

Out flew a single bee, buzzing angrily around his head.

"Hey, bear! Get lost!" snapped the bee. "This honey isn’t yours!"

Mr. Bear narrowed his eyes. "I’m bigger than you," he growled, puffing out his chest. "And stronger, too. I can take what I want! Now buzz off, before I squash you!"

Ignoring the bee’s warning, Mr. Bear shoved his paw deeper into the hive. But this time the bee stung him right on his nose.

"Ouch! My nose!" Mr. Bear roared, clutching his face. Anger flared inside him. "How dare you!" He grabbed a big stick lying nearby and swung it at the bee, missing by a mile. The bee darted and dodged, buzzing circles around his head, making Mr. Bear even more furious.

"I’ll squash you!" he bellowed, waving the stick madly.

But the bee was too quick. It zipped back into the hive, and Mr. Bear saw his chance. "Aha! Now you’re trapped!" With all his might, he began smashing the hive. Smash! Smash! Smash!

But then, a new sound filled the air. It started low, like a distant hum, and then grew louder… and louder…

A massive swarm of bees burst from the shattered hive, filling the sky like a dark, buzzing cloud. Mr. Bear froze as thousands of tiny wings whirred around him. Then came the stings. They stung his ears, his paws, his belly, and especially his poor, sore nose.

Mr. Bear yelped, tearing through the forest, bees chasing him all the way.

He ran and ran, not stopping until he burst through his front door and slammed it shut behind him. Leaning against the door, panting, he heard a familiar voice.

"You did it again, didn’t you?" said Mrs. Bear, standing there with her arms crossed.

"Yes," he sniffled, wiping away a tear as he counted his bee stings.

With a sigh, Mrs. Bear handed him a jar of ointment. "Here’s the bee-sting medicine. Oh, and by the way, we have honey in the cupboard. It’s behind the flour."

Mr. Bear’s jaw dropped. "Behind the flour?"

Mrs. Bear just shook her head. "Next time, don’t let your temper do the thinking."

Moral: A hot temper always gets you into trouble.