Uh yeah, I don't know how to write apparently :sob: Anyway, forums are down (big surprise), so here's a project. It's currently 4 am, so I apologize for any typos. Forget Me Nots: Love in Absence Dahlia: Yours until the end Periwinkle: Memory, Friendship (803 words) A young man sat on a bench in the middle of a grassy lawn, his head in his hands. The sky was blue and all around him beauty bloomed. Yet tears fell, quickly absorbed by the dry earth. //Why God??// The man sobbed. //I wasn't ready for her to go.// Dropping his hands, he raised his tear stained face to the sky. The sound of birds chirping filled his ears and the light of the sun hit his eyes, yet he was deaf and blind to all of it. The only thoughts in his mind were of his late wife, his one true love. His true love. Who had been gone for a month now. Yet, he still felt the pain as sharply as he had the day she passed. He sunk to his knees, the tears once again starting. She had been far too young. They had their whole life ahead of them. Or so they had thought. He remembered her in her last few months. All those sleepless nights spent at her bedside. Her smile. The way she had insisted on tending to her garden, even when she barely had the energy to stand. The garden he was now kneeling before. He took a deep breath; the sweet mix of flowers and dirt calming him. Looking through blurry eyes, he blinked until the pinks, blues, and purples of the plants came into focus. One thought pierced through the grief-induced fog. Flowers. His wife planted flowers. He hadn't thought much about it until that moment. He gently trailed his fingers over the soft petals; thinking about the flowers. In the past five years they had been married, she had always planted a garden in the spring. Not once had she missed it. She loved her plants. But not once had she planted flowers. It had always been something more practical, like vegetables or fruit. She never would have planted flowers "just because they looked nice". There had to be some deeper meaning to them. He leaned closer, inhaling their sweet scent. Gently, he took hold of three stems and carefully broke them off. Careful not to crush them, he strode to his car, placing them on the dashboard. When he arrived at his destination, he carefully picked them up again and got out. The little bell above the shop entryway dinged as he entered and a small old woman popped her grey head up from behind the counter. "Hello!" She greeted him cheerfully. She pushed her spectacles up as she slowly made her way around the counter. "What can I do for you today?" The man, suddenly overwhelmed by emotions, held out the flowers to her. She took them, holding them close to her face and sniffing. "Oh, what beautiful flowers!" Noticing the man's distress, she took him by the hand and led him to the back of the shop, where she sat him down at a little cafe table. "You wait here, I'll make you some tea." She laid the flowers on the table and disappeared into a separate room. The sat hunched over at the table, breathing heavily. The old lady returned and placed an antique teacup, filled with steaming tea, in front of him. She patted his hand, before taking the seat across from him. "Now, why did you come to me?" She asked gently. The man collected himself and asked about the flowers sitting on the table between them. "Oh yes! I can tell you about these." The woman exclaimed, obviously happy to talk about flowers. "These," she pointed to a cluster of small blue flowers, "are called Forget-Me-Nots." The man drew in a sharp breath. Noticing his reaction, the woman continued in a quieter tone. "This one is named for it's beautiful colour, Periwinkle," she gestured to the tiny purple-ish flowers. "And these are my personal favourite." She held up the large pink blossom. "This is a Dahlia. It means "yours until the end"." She smiled sadly, placing it back down. "In fact, all of these flowers have beautiful meanings. "The Forget-Me-Nots symbolize Love in Absence, and Periwinkle represent memory and friendship." Tears were now flowing freely down the man's face and the old woman rose to grab a box of tissues. She held them out to him and he gratefully took one. She patted his hand, reassuringly. "Take all the time you need." She placed the tissues on the table and returned to the front to deal with a customer who had just walked in. The man clutched the tissue tightly, staring at the flowers lying on the table like he had seen a ghost. It was almost as though he had. For he was almost certain the flowers had been a message from his wife. One last message from her. One last "I love you".
