What a captivating story, capturing both the wild terror of the “great freeze” and the warmth and hope that can come with just one bouquet of flowers. This story reminds us of the importance of flowers in our lives, and reflects the primary themes of the entire ZenGarden site!
Congratulations to Madison E. Njos for a story that is both concise and complete. We especially liked the image of the glimpse of color popping from one windowsill, “like a single star”.
But let’s not give away the story in this introduction. Instead, you can read it for yourself!
The Warmth to Get You Through Winter
A white world of powder swirls outside with the howling winds. The great freeze was premature, giving people only enough time to save what parts of their harvests they could manage, before freezing themselves. Some were able to feed themselves for months, others were not so lucky.
Against the snowy backdrop, even from a great distance, you can catch a glimpse of color popping from a windowsill, like a single star visible through the pollution of city lights. A thick bouquet of Freesias, as fresh as Spring air, are displayed like a trophy – the only thing dug up from this particular garden. And, though their bellies may rumble until Spring, and the frost will cause them to fall ill with cabin fever, they will look to their Freesias for warmth; their only tangible memory of days when they lived for letting the sun soak into their skin.
Learn more about the author:
Learn more about the contest which inspired this story: Nutshell Narratives 2019-01