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Morning sunlight bathes the garden as Benjamin perches on a purple lavender stem, brow furrowed in confusion. Below, neat lines of ants march while bright butterflies dance among colorful flowers.
Benjamin the Bee woke up one sunny morning. He stretched his wings and felt something odd in his chest. It was buzzy, but not his flying buzzy. Benjamin sat on a purple lavender stem and looked around. The ants marched in neat lines. The butterflies danced from flower to flower. Everyone knew what to do. "What about me?" Benjamin wondered. He felt confused. The strange buzzy feeling stayed right there in his chest. Benjamin decided he needed help. Maybe someone could explain this feeling.
In warm midday light, Lila lounges on a broad green leaf, smiling gently. Benjamin hovers beside her, wings blurred, eyes wide with surprise.
Benjamin flew across the garden to find his friend. Lila the Ladybug was resting on a sunny green leaf. "Lila," Benjamin said quietly, "I feel something strange inside me. It's buzzy but different. Do you ever feel things you don't understand?" Lila smiled warmly at her friend. "Of course I do, Benjamin. That's called a feeling. Everyone has feelings." Benjamin's eyes grew wide. "Everyone? Even me?" he asked. "Especially you," Lila said kindly. Benjamin thought about this new idea.
On the sun-dappled leaf, Benjamin and Lila sit side by side; Lila points skyward toward a swirling butterfly while, below the leaf, an ant strains to carry a crumb.
Benjamin sat next to Lila on the leaf. "What kinds of feelings are there?" he asked. Lila pointed to a butterfly spinning in circles. "That butterfly feels happy and playful." Then she pointed to an ant carrying a big crumb. "That ant might feel proud and strong." Benjamin watched the garden carefully. "And what about my buzzy feeling?" Lila tilted her head. "Only you can know for sure. Close your eyes and pay attention to it." Benjamin closed his eyes. The buzzy feeling was still there, warm and soft.
Against a clear afternoon sky, Benjamin lifts off from the leaf with a proud grin, wings shimmering. Below, Lila stands on the leaf clapping her tiny legs in warm golden light.
Benjamin opened his eyes and smiled. "I think my buzzy feeling is curious," he said. "I want to learn new things and ask questions." Lila clapped her tiny legs together. "That's wonderful, Benjamin! Curious is a very good feeling." A tiny flutter moved through Benjamin's wings. It felt soft and warm and right. "Thank you, Lila," Benjamin said. "From now on, I'll pay more attention to my feelings." He flew up into the bright sky, feeling proud. Benjamin understood himself a little better now.