Hive

He came walking, more like dragging himself to the kitchen. His face was sullen, and eyes were red. Tracks of tears spilled from his eyes were still gleaming bright, from the light illuminating the room.

She heard a sound of movement, light one and felt someone was behind her; the sob of her 14-year-old child who was trying to control his tears.

"Baby, what happened?," she asked with a worry on her face, as she bent down on her knees in front of him.

"They did it again." 

"What did they do?," she asked while her eyes were searching for marks of beating on her boy's body. None, she could see.

"Who are you talking about?" Her worry was morphing into fear.

"Come here," she filled a glass with water and helped him with it.

"Now, calm down. Take a few breaths and tell me everything." He followed what she told to do, obediently. 

"They did it again. They demolished their home." Her eyes began to search the ruins

of a house from the kitchen window. "Whose home did they demolish?"

"The bees' home," he cried.  Now, she began to realise what had happened.

"How can they do that to them? How can they destroy someone's home and then sleep peacefully? How can they take down someone's home and expect prosperity at their home? The poor bees had built their home with efforts. So many bees went out looking for the building blocks, and who knows where they found pretty little flowers in this place that shines just white. Tell me, what harm did they do to us or anyone? Why can't humans understand this? Why are they so selfish? Do they just want a human centric world with no place for any other being? What do they want actually?"

He was out of breath, asking an array of questions to his mother. She listened her child pour out his heart, carefully. She held him close, pat on his back rhythmically and soothingly said, "Calm down dear."

"See, you are the one who can see it. Not everyone is blessed with the ability to see the world with this perspective. There's a shield, a filter, that they put, on their eyes, through which all they can see is money and self-growth, and if that involves pushing someone into a trough, then they won't think twice. But look at you, you think so much but what good does that do to you? You are the one who is in pain."

"Listen to me carefully. Most people of this world don't behave as per the way we want them to. And you can't change them. No, not instantaneously. It's a looong long process, but the crucial element is — they need to have the desire to change; and that needs to come from within, spontaneously. This results in you thinking and then you are in pain. The world is going to make you go through situations that would be terrible, but in the darkest of times, you need to seek the speckle of light. That's your aim, go on a quest to find it every time you are in a dark room. Do you understand what I am telling?"

"Yes, mamma." He nodded his head in agreement. "So, in this situation I need to focus on the fact that they didn't burn down their house, they took it from them. But because they are free to build a new house and they aren't ready to give up, they can construct a new hive. Am I right, mamma?"

"Yes, you are right, my dear. See, they are still alive, they have the skills, and they are persistent and determinant, so they won't let anything stop them from doing something they want to. Nature inspires us. There may come a time when someone takes away something from us that belongs to us, or put hurdles in our way, but at that time, we need to let the bees be our inspiration, we shouldn't give up. You shouldn't give up. Even in the darkest of times, a ray of light always finds its way. Believe me. Nothing's ever completely destroyed unless you want it to be. The bees too will find a better place, more secure perhaps and they will build again. And don't worry about their building material. Help will be given to those by nature who need it." 

She took him close to her and kissed on his forehead.

The kid wasn't all happy about the situation after the lesson from his mother, but he had a different approach now, to look at life, to look at the world.