The leader entered the beehive together with Commander Mark. The hive was glowing with illuminated honeycomb chambers, and Queen Alyssa ordered Commander Mark to read that novel aloud.
Mark began reading, while the leader listened carefully and summarized the story. Whenever Mark reached a sad scene about the girl Alyssa, the queen would cry.
They spent two days inside the hive reading the novel. Eventually, the leader asked to leave, because his queen was waiting for him impatiently.
Meanwhile, on the archipelago, the queen bee was worried about her leader because he had been gone for too long. She would say to her little ones:
"I am afraid he might get lost on the way, or that something bad might happen to him."
When the sun rose, the queen awoke as a gentle breeze stirred the flower leaves. I helped her stand up, and she looked at the red flower in front of her.
The commander stood up smiling and told her that he had been in a deep dream, and that he had become so attached to the novel that its story had followed him even in his sleep. The queen realized how skilled the storyteller was during the time the commander spent there.
So I asked him to enter the chamber quickly so he could read it to her. The queen and her young sat in front of him while the windows of the chamber were open. The breeze entered, carrying the scent of flowers.
The queen asked:
"Are you ready to hear the summary?"
The leader replied:
"Yes, I am looking forward to it."
The leader then began reading the narrator's summary:
"The place called Harleston, where the girl Alyssa lived, was the most beautiful place for her. It was the house her grandfather had left to her father, Mark, who lived there with his two daughters, Alyssa and Doreen, in a spacious home.
Alyssa grew up as an orphan after her mother died when she was still very young. She spent her days caring for the flower garden, for flowers were her life. She also took care of the estate animals and especially loved horses.
She often went to the stables to care for them and became highly skilled at riding and handling horses. Everyone in the house loved her — the workers, the servants, especially Mrs. Briggs the cook and the maid who prepared the reception room and combed Alyssa's hair.
Years later, the family went through difficult times. Uncle Robert locked the spacious house in Vicarage.
Alyssa then moved to the nearby village of Little Stone. She began helping her father with labor expenses. As for her sister Doreen, who had treated her harshly in childhood, she became an obstacle to Alyssa's dream of marriage. Still, Alyssa fulfilled her duties and did not anger her.
Doreen emigrated to London, married there, became wealthy, and stayed there for a long time. She did not attend her stepmother's funeral; she only sent a bouquet of flowers, which affected the family's reputation in the village."