(mostly from the journals of Bearnacle Bear, written several years after the event)
I was walking deeper and deeper in the cave, and it was getting very dark. My eyes needed to adjust to the change in lighting. Fortunately, that was not a problem for me. Bears are known for their excellent night vision, and I was no exception. I walked by faded paintings on the walls of animals and humans and of a few insects. The colors were different and unusual, but oddly captivating.
And then, I was there, in the chamber of the Queen of the Hornets.
“Thank you for coming and showing your respect to me,” said the Queen, who was perched near the top of the wall. I had to strain to look up at her. She was very large and her wings were enormous. I shook a little and then stopped. I am not afraid. I am not afraid. I am not afraid. I repeated it to myself over and over and over.
“I have brought an apple for you,” I said.
One of the worker hornets took a portion of the apple, which I set on the ground, up to the Queen of the Hornets. She burrowed into it and happily sucked on the apple juice.
“You are a great bear. Or will be a great bear,” said the Queen of the Hornets. “Because you will listen to my story with open ears and an open heart.”
“Yes, Your Royal Majesty,” I said.
“A long time ago, when most of the earth was covered by water, the first hornets appeared. They didn’t have stingers. Instead, they had very large wings and they could travel great distances over water. They were looking for land, for a nesting place and for friends. First, they tried making friends with the dinosaurs. But the dinosaurs were very large and they couldn’t see the hornets, so the hornets flew past them. Then, they tried making friends with the tortoises. But the tortoises were very slow and very sleepy and told the hornets that, maybe, they could be friends after their nap. And the tortoises napped a very long time.
“The hornets kept traveling. All around the Earth, they traveled. But they never found any friends. Even the cockroaches did not want to befriend the hornets. And the hornets were broken hearted.
“One day, a human walked in the path of a worker hornet. The worker hornet was so happy to see something that could be his friend that he sat on the human’s shoulder and started telling a story. The human didn’t understand the hornet and the human smacked the worker hornet so hard that it died. All of the members of that worker hornet’s hive wept because we had never seen violence before. We didn’t understand it.
“In the days that followed, the human brought other humans out and they attacked the hornets. We think that the humans didn’t want to share their apples but we don’t really know. What we learned later is that the humans feared the unknown so much that they wanted to destroy it.
“After that, the hornets grew stingers so they could protect themselves. But the humans kept attacking, and we hornets became aggressive. It was so because it was meant to be so, but we didn’t know it at the time. And now, the humans fear us.
“But you must not fear us. You have come to see me and to feed me and to listen to me. For that, our whole hive is grateful.
“Remember to never fear the unknown. You never know what wonderful surprises it may offer you. Our worker hornets will lead you back to the rest of the bears and will accompany you as you leave our land. Don’t forget us. When you pursue your destiny, we will be there with you and for you. We will protect you and ensure that you are safe. We love you, Baby Bear.”
And with that, I was guided back outside, where night had fallen. I walked to the place where all of the bears were sitting and eating their late meal. They fell upon me, weeping. But I smiled at them and said, “We are safe. We are loved.”
And then, I fell asleep.
