revised excerpt from Of a Flower: Chapter 2
in-progress novel written by Kevin Liang
The sun had dipped low enough to dye the sky deep orange by the time I reached the eastern walls. Standing perhaps three meters tall, a simple stone gate opened the town to the wilderness, guarded only a single streetlight that hung above the threshold.
Beyond the surrounding walls, a solemn dirt path weaved through the tallgrass, accompanied only by poles of wood protruding high above the grass. Black ropes jumped from pole to pole, linking them together like a congregation filing out.
They led into the surrounding forest, directly to my house.
Deep inside the forest, there was hardly anymore sunlight. Though it did not matter, as orbs of light began to softly illuminate the century-old trees. They meandered carelessly along the forest floor, sometimes bumping into travelers that passed by. The orbs never cared, and simply continued their waltz into the night.
I smiled as I always did, and spoke out to them. “I am home.” They were, after all, the only ones I could say that to. I fantasized they responded in kind, as I continued to follow the poles of wood, now obscured by foliage.
The trail led to a large clearing within the woods. It was artificial. Most of the trees had been cut down, allowing slivers of sunlight to penetrate. A garden of flowers and other ferns blanketed the space, their growth enabled by the thinner foliage from above. The conditions came together to make the space seemingly glow with color.
A small stone cottage stood in the middle of the clearing. A leftover from my father. Well built, even though it was now weathered and overgrown with moss. The vines had taken over the walls and branching out along the cable line. I never minded their contribution, however. They blended the cottage with the forest.
Walking up the stone steps, I stopped at the top and reached down into my basket, searching for the door keys amongst the flowers I had carried home. As I looked down, I caught a glimpse of a small figure out of the corner of my eye.
I stopped and peered up. The figure noticed and frantically hid behind a tree. Although it was a brief glimpse, I recognized what appeared to be a little girl. My hand slipped out of the basket, and I slowly turned toward the forest.
Hesitating, I spoke softly. “..Are you lost?”
There was no reply. I could, however, see curls of the girl’s blond hair poking out from behind the tree, illuminated by the light of the orbs.
I watched quietly for a reaction. The hair, however, was patiently still.
Gathering courage, I straightened up and repeated myself a little louder.
Silence followed again, but after a few moments, the tuft of hair peeked out from behind the tree. I saw that she was indeed a child. From her expression, she was even more frightened than I was.
What was she doing here? Alone, deep in the woods where I lived. I looked around to see if there was anyone else.
There was none. Only the orbs of light. I looked back at the girl. She wa looking around as well, only to focus back on me once she realized she had my attention again.
I could not leave her alone outside. Not as night falls.
As I took a step small forward, the girl began to creep behind the tree again. I retracted my step and gripped my hands at my waist in front of me, in clear view for the girl.
“Do not worry, I intend no harm.” I did my best to smile, but not too much. I thought I must seem like a witch to her. A forest dweller, inviting a small child into her mossy hovel.
But I could not leave her alone in the dark.
My mind paced frantically on what to do. I did not dare to move towards her again, afraid to scare her off.
Studying her some more, I then realized she was not looking directly at me anymore. It was almost as if her gaze had fallen down, looking at my feet. I followed and saw the basket of flowers I had been carrying, which had swung with my arms to the front.
Looking back up, I could see the girl glance up at me briefly before looking back down. Keeping my eyes on the girl, I carefully reached into my basket and felt for the stem of a flower. As I gently pulled one out, I saw the little girl’s expression change, her eyes following my hand.
Holding still for a few moments, I eventually extended my arm straight out in front of me, offering the flower to the girl. It was a Hyacinthum flower, a light blue flower with seven long petals.
The girl’s eyes lit up. After hesitating for what felt like several seconds, she finally stepped out from behind the tree and slowly crept forward into the clearing, allowing me to see her a little clearer.
She was a thin little figure, covered in old rags and wrapped by a ragged light brown cloak as large as herself. The odd part was the black headband with white frills that she wore, which looked out of place compared to the ragged clothes she was wearing. From the looks of it, she was no older than a ten-year-old.
The girl paused and looked up at me again. As if asking for my permission. Not knowing if I should speak, I leaned closer, gently nudging my arm further out. The flower head bounced a little.
A big smile grew across her face, and before I knew it, she was swiftly dashing through the field at a startling pace. Once I had realized what was happening, she was already at the bottom of the stone steps I stood on.
Reflexively, I took a step backwards, but forced myself to hold my ground. The girl, seemingly realizing she had frightened me, broke her smile and took a few steps back, distancing herself from me. From there, she inspected me with the same watchful eyes she had before, as if judging my next move.
Recognizing that there was no harm intended, I stepped towards her. Keeping my arm outstretched, I squatted down to her level and dipped the flower down so that the girl could reach for it. She treaded forward at a carefully predictable pace and accepted the flower with both of her small, outstretched hands.
Once I had let go and fully transacted the gift, she returned to her previous glee, hugging the flower closely and swinging her little body side to side.
I could not help but laugh at the sight. She now acted no different than what one would expect from a child.
“My name is Elisabeth. Do you live out here? Where are your parents?”
Once again the girl’s expression changed, her face sliding behind the flower, shaking her head.
“You do not know where your parents are?”
The girl shook her head again.
That was what I had feared. What was I to do next? I could try and help find her parents, but it would not be an easy task in this forest. Especially as night falls. And as far as I was aware of, no one else lived this deep in the forest.
While I pondered, the girl had bent down into the frame of my vision, looking uncertain what to do. Perking my head back up, I smiled. “Cheer up, I will help you find your parents, okay?”
The girl shook her head again.
Not knowing what else to say, I slowly stood up. “Either way, it will be getting dark soon. How about you stay here for the night?”
The girl smiled and vividly nodded.
I laughed. “Very well, then.” Turning back to the door, I found my keys and unlocked it. Stepping into the dark, I held the door open and glanced back.
To my surprise, she had sat down on the stone steps, facing out towards the flower field. Not sure what she was doing, I tilted to the side a little to get a better look at her. Easing my hand on the door, I walked back to the threshold.
“You can come inside, you know.”
The girl turned around and looked up, the flower still close to her face.
“You can come inside,” I repeated. “Safer than staying out in the dark.”
Her gaze fell, looking beyond me into the dark hallway. Quickly realizing my own contradiction, I felt for the light switches and flicked them.
The dim hallway lights sputtered on. The brighter dining room light followed after, filling the house with its warm glow. The act elicited a complex reaction out of the girl, a mixture of astonishment and fascination. She sat completely still, peering into the house as if she had seen a ghost.
I waited where I was, holding the door open. Had I frightened her? Collections of plants and flowers of all sorts of sizes were scattered around the hallway. Potted shrubs and ferns sat at every corner, surrounded by smaller plants and numerous flowers. Perhaps the intermingling foliage with the desks, chairs, and other furniture made the space a little eerie.
The girl finally moved, standing up and walking towards the doorway, stopping briefly at the elevated threshold to carefully step over it. Once inside, I gently closed the door and secured it. Leaving my shoes by the door, I walked past the girl and into the dining room. She watched me silently, then followed. I realized she had no shoes.
In the room was a larger gallery of flowers. Their aroma overpowered the space, thickening the air with the smell of pollen and herbs.
“Sorry, it is a little dingy in here. It is not often that I house guests— Here, I can open up a..”
But as I reached for the kitchen window, I heard rapid little footsteps rushing past me and towards the back corner. Numerous vases of flowers were stacked up on a large wooden table. They were all wilting; their leaves shriveled up and the petals losing their color. Still, the girl took a liking to them, leaning on the table ledge, which was just about her chest height, and excitedly surveying them.
I slacked and gently smiled. Walking over to the table, I scooched in beside her and started arranging the flowers from my basket into the vases.
“These are all the flowers that were not able to sell before they aged too much,” I explained as I slid a pale red flower amongst the back row. “I have tried to grow them here, but unfortunately they lose their magic after they are uprooted.”
The girl looked at me in a sort of somber manner, her eyebrows knitted and her mouth petitely open as if she was going to speak, but no words came out. Turning back, she tenderly reached one of her small hands to the center and stretched her fingers out wide.
“You are welcome to take some of them if you would like.” I returned to my work, examining closely which flowers were due for disposal. Spotting a withering flower, I reached over to pull it out.
As my fingers touched the stem, it suddenly began to glow. Before I could comprehend what was happening, it regained its vigor and restored to full bloom. Around it, other flowers began to sparkle as well, as a wave of light surged across the stacks from left to right.
I retracted my hand and backed off in surprise, bewildered at the scene. Then I realized the glowing reached the girl’s outstretched hand as well, which was feeding streams of golden energy-like substance to the assembly of flowers. The energy rejuvenated their heads and leaves; their stems straightened back once more.
Watching in silence, the glowing eventually faded away, leaving the flowers in full color, as if they were just gathered today. The girl’s hand retracted back to grip the blue flower she had held closely since I gave it to her, and she returned to her childish swinging side to side.
This time however I did not laugh. I was spellbound by the flowers, stepping in closer to see if they had truly rejuvenated. Touching their stems and stroking their petals, they had indeed felt fresh again. Even their fragrance regained its tanginess, and I was blasted by their rich aromas all at once.
I gazed in amazement at the girl. She proudly smiled.