Easter Flowerette's Arc

Chapter 4 of 4

Mrs. Robin carries the vase outside at last. The greenhouse door swings open behind them. Easter Flowerette feels the cool air touch her leaves for the first time since the frost. Mrs. Robin sets the vase near the weathered fence in Easter Corner, where spring flowers already bloom around the stone altar. Easter Flowerette hears voices near the greenhouse. Two gardeners stand by a raised bed lined with brick, tending to the soil. One points to a potted orchid sitting alone on the wall. "That one bloomed years ago," she says. "Right before Easter. No one ever came to pick it up." The other gardener shakes her head. "Beautiful flowers, but no one knew they were there." Easter Flowerette goes still. The story belongs to her. She bloomed that year in darkness, petals open and perfect, and no one came. She told herself it did not matter because the bloom was real. But hearing someone speak of it aloud makes the weight of it real too. She was not imagining the cost of waiting without witness. Mrs. Robin settles on the edge of the vase. She does not know what Easter Flowerette has just heard, but she sees the leaves trembling slightly. Mrs. Robin begins clearing away a pile of old withered leaves from around the vase, making space. Easter Flowerette understands what this means. Mrs. Robin is saying you will not bloom alone this time. The fear does not disappear, but Easter Flowerette knows now that someone will see what she offers, and that knowledge changes everything.