When You Lose Someone You Love (Telling the Bees)

A children's bedtime story about losing a pet, inspired by the old country custom of telling the bees. Leo's goldfish Captain died this morning, and the little stone castle in his bowl is too still tonight. At the kitchen table, his grandpa tells him about a beekeeper's house with one strange rule, a hive that went quiet, and the small brave walk that brought the humming back. For children 4 to 8, and whoever sits beside them. About the tale: behind the little cricket stands an old Zen story from Japan. A student asks the master how long mastery will take. "Ten years," says the master. "And if I try twice as hard?" "Twenty years." We gave the riddle to a cricket learning the evening song, and retold the rest for ages 4 to 8.