The Tale of an Adventure Gone Wrong

Friends, three bears set out on an adventure, but the outcome is so unexpected!

Welcome, dear children.
I am happy to share a new story with you today.
It is a story about three cute bears.
The first was the mother bear, Neetu. She happily lived with her two little cubs, Gublu and Tublu, with Gublu being the elder one. Their home was a cosy cave. A little spring merrily bubbled at the entrance. All around them was the dense Ambikapur forest.
Neetu looked solemn, with a shiny black coat contrasted by a prominent white snout. And the cubs had a greyish-black coat with a tiny white snout.
Neetu loved these naughty cubs, though if the truth be told, they used to try her patience at times. But then, tell me, at their age, which child is not naughty? And after their day-long mischief, they loved to hear their mom sing a lullaby every night as they fell asleep in their cosy cave. Even the fellow creatures living in their cave, such as moths and other insects, seemed to calm down with Neetu’s soothing music.
Now, these two cubs were fond of eating as well. They often bugged their mom for a change in their daily breakfast menu, which mostly included fruits and other items. A calm Neetu used to hear their demands with one ear and cast them out with her other ear.
But one day she relented and decided to take the cubs the next morning into an unexplored part deep in the forest. A nice surprise lay in store for them. Ah! How much they would enjoy the treat there!
The next day dawned bright and clear. It was a lovely autumn morning with a beautiful blue sky and golden sunshine. Neetu woke up the two cubs and asked them to get ready: today, they were going to a place where a special treat awaited them. The cubs complied with the instructions and set off with their mummy, their faces bright with joy. They were curious to know where they were going. The smiling Neetu would give no clue whatsoever.
After walking for about thirty minutes, she brought her family to the bank of a river. This little stream flowed gently through the middle of the forest. At the places where the river came up against the rocks, it made a soft, gurgling noise that was sweet to hear. This serene river was Ambika, after which the forest derived its name.
On its bank grew a majestic mango tree. A small muddy pond was also there at some distance. Now, a mango tree is unusual to find in a forest since it requires cultivation. Decades ago, a woodcutter threw away a mango seed as he walked through the jungle. A small sprout had sprung from it and grown into this huge tree with its wide canopy of glossy, deep green leaves glistening in the sun.
As the tree grew bigger, bees took shelter in it. Mind you, they were not ordinary bees. No, my dear children, they were not your run-of-the-mill bees by any means. There were special bees that produced a special kind of honey that was intense in flavour.
Over the decades, these hardworking bees built a gigantic honeycomb. It stretched along a thick branch of the tree and hung low, nearly touching the ground. Neetu had brought her cubs to this very spot. She had tasted its honey once many years ago and knew that her children would also love this unique brand of honey.
As the bear family reached the spot, Neetu pointed out the huge hive to a delighted Gublu and Tublu. Led by Neetu, the cubs began climbing up the tree in a slow and measured manner. After reaching the edge of the enormous hive, the careful mother broke open a very small part of it.
Of course, they faced intense opposition from the soldier bees, but their thick fur and equally thick skin won for the moment. Soon they were relishing the delectable taste of the honey and enjoying themselves to the hilt!
While they were savouring the last drops, something went terribly wrong. The young Tublu, filled with greed, broke open a bigger chunk with a single swipe of his sharp claws. And a platoon of angry bees came out at once and attacked the bear family!
The trio, heavily outnumbered, hurried down the tree to escape the attackers. All were getting stung on sensitive spots like their faces, snouts, and tongues, with Tublu getting the worst of it. The only choice was to flee as fast as they could.
In the chaos, however, something unforeseen happened. Neetu slowed down after putting some distance from the tree to check on her cubs. And her heart missed a beat to find Tublu missing. Mom and the elder cub launched an immediate search, but there was no trace of the cub.
It was a moment of desperation, and the frantic mother began to sing her lullaby to calm her nerves. To her great relief, even the bees calmed down and flew back to their hive after a while.
It was then that Neetu managed to locate her younger cub.
That cub, trying to escape the angry bees, had taken shelter in the slimy pond near the tree. Only after the bees returned to their hive did he dare to show his face. Soaking wet and covered in green muck, what a sight he presented! A relieved Neetu wiped him clean with her tongue as much as she could.
The poor cub felt overjoyed to reunite with his mother and brother. At last, they began their homeward journey. They longed for the spring near their cave. It will help each to get a good wash and soothe their sting wounds.
I bet the cubs will not forget this adventure anytime soon. And yes, I’m also sure that they won’t bug their mom about changing their breakfast menu now. Their old menu will be good enough for a long time to come!
Children, let's now take leave of the three weary bears as they make their way home.
See you soon with the next story.
Goodbye and God bless, my dears.
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