Massimilliano Florio was the best painter of his time, and possibly ever. There was no doubting his prodigious skill. His figures and landscapes were so realistic, they seemed to jump off the canvas. In particular, Florio liked to paint animals, especially animals in unusual or unconventional scenarios. One of his most famous works was "Dog in Chapel", which depicted a small beagle alone in a dimly-lit chapel, eyes closed and forepaws held together in veneration. The painter had somehow managed to create an expression of piety and tranquility on the simple features of the dog. Another popular Florio piece was "Butterflies in Ballroom", which showed a pair of vividly blue butterflies unmistakably in the middle of a tango. The artist had somehow managed to create a sense of movement in the insects, with their legs wrapped around each other's thoraxes and their wings trailing behind as they dipped and twirled.

What's more, Massimilliano Florio was a genius at using special paints and pigments to hide hidden features in his works, ones that would only be revealed under the right conditions. "Deer in Swimming Pool", for example, portrayed a doe in the middle of a brisk swim, one foreleg lifted above the surface of the water while droplets ran in small rivulets down its fur. The deer's expression, however, was one of unbridled terror, which was odd because there was nothing else in the painting that would scare it. But when the painting was viewed at just the right angle, with a bright light, a shark appeared in the water right behind the deer's trailing leg, gaping maw a split second away from closing down on the doe's limb. "Penguin in Spaceship" was another example. The painting showed a penguin in a spacesuit, sitting at the controls of a futuristic spacecraft. Looming in the background was a large, blazing sun. The penguin's expression was one of anguish at the light and heat. However, when the painting was placed in a heavily air-conditioned environment, the sun would shrink to just a small dot, while the penguin's grimace would turn into a smile.

Florio's fame was so great that many people came to him, from far and wide, to commission works from the great painter. Because he was always well paid for his works, he was able to enjoy a very comfortable lifestyle. Florio was always kept busy every day of every year, but he didn't mind, because he was doing what he loved.

One day, there was a knock on Florio's door, and he opened it to find an old priest standing before him, his face tired and haggard, and his vestments covered in the dust of his travels.

"Oh! Father, please come in, you look exhausted!" Florio said, opening the door wide and gesturing for the priest to enter his studio.

"Thank you, maestro, you are very kind. But I cannot stay long, for I have come far only for a simple request, and then must return immediately," the priest replied.

"Then please, do tell, what can I do for you, Father?"

The priest hemmed and hawed for a moment before answering. "Maestro, I come from a small church in a small village. There are few economic opportunities in the village, so all the young people have moved away. The church is a source of comfort for the old people who stayed behind; it provides a sense of community, a sense of purpose, and of course it offers spiritual solace for the aged and the weak. But we are poor, and old, and the church has fallen into disrepair, and we are unable to fix it."

"I see, I see..." Florio said, in sympathy.

The priest continued, "So, maestro, I would like to ask you to paint a mural for us, in the church. Your work would draw visitors and worshippers to our church, and I hope that some of them would help us fix things."

"That certainly sounds like a good idea, Father!" Florio cried, "I will do it, certainly!"

"But maestro, I must tell you, we do not have any money to pay you..."

Florio flapped his hands at the priest, "Nonsense, nonsense. I have more than enough money already. This, I will do for free! I will set off immediately with you, with my paints and my brushes, and I will paint your mural for you!"

Florio and the priest reached the priest's village three days later. The priest wasn't exaggerating, the church was truly in a sorry state. There were several large holes in the tiled roof, many of the wooden pews were rotten and literally falling apart, and the front doors were missing. However, the large white wall at the front of the church, behind the pulpit, was in relatively good shape, and this was where Florio decided to paint his mural.

Florio put up a large tarp at the front entrance to the church, in place of the missing doors, and said to the priest, "I will begin my mural now. I expect it shall take ten days to complete. During this time, I must not be disturbed in any way, and I would not have my mural seen in an incomplete state. This means I must insist that no one enter the church for the next ten days."

The priest saw how seriously Florio took this matter, and nodded his assent. "As you say, maestro. No one will enter the church for the next ten days, I will see to it."

For the next ten days, there was silence in the church. Sometimes, through the material of the tarp, passersby could see the shadow of Florio working on his mural, illuminated by a dim lamp. Sometimes Florio would come to the entrance himself, and move the tarp aside, and then peer intently at the half-completed mural inside before returning to work.

At ten o'clock in the morning, ten days later, a tired but exuberant Florio tore down the tarp and strode down the front steps of the church. "It is done! It is accomplished! Come and see my mural, my good people!"

The priest and the villagers thronged into the church. There, behind the pulpit, was a large and colorful mural depicting a gigantic tent, similar to the kind used for outdoor church revival services or outdoor weddings. Standing alone in the foreground, inside the tent, was a single honeybee. The bee's features were unmistakably female, and she wore an expression of demure happiness. There were no other animals or figures in the mural.

The priest stared in wonder at the beautifully painted work for a moment, then turned to Florio. "Maestro, it is magnificent, truly it is. But I wonder what does it mean? This is a church, so what does a bee standing in a tent have to do with our faith?"

The painter laughed, then said, "I knew you'd ask that. Let us wait a moment, Father, for I noticed that every morning, just after ten o'clock, the sun will shine through the front entrance and strike the wall behind the pulpit. Let us see what happens when the sun hits the mural just right!"

As soon as Florio was done speaking, a beam of sunlight came shining through the missing doors and illuminated the mural, engulfing the honeybee in a heavenly glow. Immediately a gossamer veil and a pristine white bridal gown appeared on the honeybee. The sunlight continued to spread over the mural, expanding to include the rest of the tent, and swarms of bees were suddenly revealed by the sunlight. Some of them were flying, others were standing, but all were dressed formally. A second honeybee, male in his features and dressed in a tuxedo, appeared next to the one in the bridal gown. A few minutes later, the sun had risen further so the angle of the sunlight was no longer on the mural, and all the other bees vanished, to leave just the female bee standing alone once more, no longer adorned by her veil and gown.

The priest and the other villagers were struck dumb by what they had seen. This, no doubt, was Massimilliano Florio's masterpiece. However, there were still some questions. "Maestro, that was truly an astounding sight," the priest said, "but I am still confused. What does it mean?"

Florio smiled with a sigh, and said, "No doubt you will figure it out one day, Father. Or perhaps one of your villagers will. Or maybe one of the visitors, who will undoubtedly be visiting your church, will be the one to understand it. In any case, I must return now to my home. I'm exhausted!"

Florio then left the village, but his mural remained, and soon its fame spread far and wide. Visitors came to the small village from all over the world to witness the mural's amazing transformation every morning. The priest started doing daily morning services, so that worshippers would be able to see the bees appear in the mural when it was illuminated by sunlight. Donations and tithes from the visitors swelled the church's coffers, and soon the priest was able to fix the roof and the pews, and install new front doors (with large transparent windows on the doors, so that sunlight would still be able to shine through). The village began to prosper, with young people settling down and starting families there.

Throughout the years, however, no one could truly agree on what the bees in the mural meant. Was it a metaphor for how the worshippers are the bride of God? Was it a reminder that honeybee populations are falling, and that it's our duty to protect the environment? Was it a symbol of the transience of life, that we may all be here today but gone suddenly?

Twenty years after the mural was completed, the old priest fell ill, and knew that his end was near. However, he did not want to die not knowing the truth of the mural. With nearly the last of his strength, he dictated a letter to Florio from his deathbed. "Maestro, we owe you so much, a debt that can never truly be repaid. However, before I return to the embrace of our heavenly father, I must implore you for one last favor. Please, tell me what the bee in the tent is meant to mean. Why is she in a wedding dress? Who are the other bees that appear? Who is the male bee by her side? Please tell me, then I can depart this life in peace."

A few days later, Florio's reply came in the form of a short letter. "'Bee in Tent' is to provide prayers with a sense of bride and accompaniment..."