“What happened to them?”
“The heat,” the woman explained. “I once had colonies of thousands of bees. They are usually quite strong; they can even sting without dying. But now I’m down to a handful. These bees are the healthy ones I could bring along to show you.”
“They are honey bees?” Jasmine asked.
“Yes.” She nodded. “They are also my life’s work. These bees make medicinal honey that can heal people. It cures ailments no other medicine can, and now it’s all coming to an end because each season is hotter than the last. They drop like flies; they’re not made for the heat like this. They managed to at least hold on in the past, but lately their natural habitat, the olive trees behind our home, are losing their leaves. The canopy had kept them shaded, but the leaves have been blistering and falling off because of the weather.”
“The bees can’t be moved indoors?”
“I tried that when I got desperate enough, but it didn’t work. They need the outdoors and sunlight like they need air. It’s just their temperament. We’ve been fanning them around the clock, but it doesn’t make a lick of difference.”
“Has the local veterinarian had a chance to see them?”
“She’s tried her best,” Zaria said. “But as I mentioned, these are one-of-a-kind bees, and the last of their kind at that. There isn’t much anyone can really do to cure them. Don’t know why I came, really.” She shifted the cage to her other arm. “Suppose I wanted someone to just hear my pain, is all.”
“I know how that is,” Maha said. Her son was still asleep on her shoulder. “Talking about what ails won’t necessarily fix things, but there is solace in being heard.”
Aladdin swallowed. Two people in a row whom he could not help. He knew not all problems had solutions, but it was a heavy realization when he was the one who was supposed to be doing the solving.
“The bees make honey that heal people, right?” Jasmine said after a moment.
“They can. It has saved people in this very kingdom, and neighboring ones, too.”
“Do you have any left?”
“Wish I did, Princess. Used to have reserves for months and months, but with their low production lately it’s all gone now.”
“I see.” Jasmine looked disappointed. “I had hoped that perhaps if you had any to spare it might be able to help Maha’s little Usman.”
“We’d tried the honey with him before,” Maha said. “When he was a baby and the first fever struck we went to her straightaway. Zaria was generous. Gave us a batch for free to try out, but it didn’t do a thing. Thankfully the weather improved and his fevers went away, so it wasn’t a problem after that.”
“I remember your boy.” The beekeeper nodded. “Sorry to see the fevers have struck him again. The honey doesn’t work with the little ones for some reason. I’ve tried tweaking the properties over the years but can’t get it to work.”
“How old is your son now?” Jasmine asked.
“Five days shy of three years old.”
“Could the honey help a child that old?”
“Possibly.” Zaria looked over at the boy. “It’s worked for children a bit older than him. It would have been worth a try, had I any honey to give him.”
Aladdin glanced at Jasmine; she looked deep in thought.
“Maha, you said you make awnings?” Jasmine finally said. “And Zaria, you said the trees losing their leaves is why your bees are suffering more this year, correct?”
“Yes.” Zaria nodded. “But awnings won’t help the bees. They are very particular about the olive tree’s leaves providing shade.”
“What if the awnings looked like the leaves of the olive trees? What if Maha could make awnings in the same shape as those leaves? Green fabric and all? Is that possible?” Jasmine looked at Maha.
“I could make it, yes.” Maha nodded. “Never made leaflike awnings before, of course, but I have done more unusual designs than that. I have some firm wires I can use to attach them to the trunk—I could at least give it a try.”
“Might work for a short while, at least,” Zaria said slowly. She smiled for the first time. “Worth a shot, anyway.”
“And if the bees had their shade…” Jasmine said.
“They could make honey for Usman,” Aladdin said excitedly.
“They can make honey again in a matter of days if they’re secure.” Zaria nodded. “I don’t know for sure if it can help your boy, and we’d need to see how the bees would react to the artificial shade, but maybe—just maybe—it could work.” She turned to Maha. “We can hope, can’t we?”
“Hope is more than what I came in with.” Maha’s eyes welled with tears. “Thank you, Prince Ali and Princess Jasmine. Thank you both for your help.”
“Of course,” Jasmine said. “I hope it works.”
“Me too,” Aladdin agreed.
Both of them were silent as they watched the women leave.
“That was such a simple solution,” Aladdin said finally.
“Well, we don’t know if it will work just yet.”
“But still, it’s something to try that hasn’t been done before. And no one had thought about it until now.”
“Sometimes, when you’re so deeply involved in the pressures and the stress and your mind is so consumed by fear, you can miss easy solutions,” Jasmine said.
At that moment, Omar approached them.
“We have one last person,” he announced. “It’s the man who came to the palace earlier. He put up such a fuss about being seen first that by the time he agreed to wait with the others, he ended up last in line. I will summon him now.”
