[Short Stories #4 ] A Red Flower Among the Ice [2/3]
The door creaked open softly, and she paused, turning back just long enough to catch his eyes, a fleeting moment charged with unspoken meaning. She watched him carefully, her expression a blend of surprise and gentle curiosity, then spoke with quiet tenderness, “What do you hold in your hands, Karl?”
He raised his small hand slowly, revealing a vivid red flower resting softly against his palm. “Look,” he said, his smile tender and warm, “it’s a beautiful red flower.” Lila reached out, her hands cupping the delicate bloom as if shielding a fragile flame, her warmth seeming to ignite the fiery petals.
Karl’s voice trembled a little when he said, “It’s for you.”
Lila lowered her head, her eyes searching his, heavy with a sadness too deep for words. “What’s wrong?” she whispered.
His gaze dropped to the floor, as though the weight of his next words could only be carried there. “The military… they’re sending me away, to the far north. For a whole year. And I can’t take you with me.”
Her voice wavered, trying to stay steady, but a soft sigh escaped. “Come, Karl. Let’s plant it in our garden.”
With quick steps, Lila led the way outside, carrying the flower gently in her hands. Karl followed behind, his steps slow and hesitant. They stopped in the center of the garden, where a bare patch of earth waited beneath the pale sunlight.
Kneeling, Lila loosened the cold soil with her fingers as carefully as if touching a newborn’s skin. She placed the flower into its new home and pressed the earth softly around its roots. Then, with a small watering can, she poured cool droplets like a quiet blessing, nurturing the flicker of life buried deep in the soil.
Karl stood still, watching her with quiet eyes. Then, with a faint smile, he said, “It looks even more beautiful now. You’ve given it new life.”
Brushing her fingertips across the shining petals, Lila whispered, “My flower and I will wait for you, no matter how long it takes.”
Karl’s promise was soft but certain. “I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
Later, the car door closed with a gentle thud. Karl climbed inside and began his journey northward, the world outside growing smaller with every mile. Lila watched until the car was nothing more than a fading speck on the horizon. Then she turned back, closing the door behind her.
Day after day, spring after spring, the roots of the red flower stretched deep into the earth, holding tightly to the soil, keeping the promise alive. The winters were harsh, cold biting against both flower and keeper. Though every effort was made to keep it alive, the warm hands that planted the blossom grew cold in time, but still the flower endured.
