With the clouds opening up to let the rays of the Winter sun in,
few feet away from the stupid trash a delighted Small White (or that’s what I think it is – correct me if I’m wrong) decided to inspect its world. Fl-fl-flaa-ap… Sticky wings due to the rain… Fla-ap… Fla-p… It gave up and smelled the air.
No rain… With the sun’s rays helping it, it flapped again… Flap! Flap… Flap-flap-flap and it lifted up in the air. He reveled in the warmth. He made cartwheels in the air and flew up, up, and up… He knew that the Plantville wasn’t far! With renewed vigor as the sun shined stronger, he flapped his wings faster, eager to meet his green friends and to see what they had to offer him.
But what he saw in Plantville shocked him. He heard someone sobbing. He gently perched on a hibiscus leaf and looked at the bent head. He was taken aback! It was Haemanta (Winter)! Tears trickled down his cold-white cheeks onto the still-drying surface. Small White had never seen Haemanta cry! Ermm… Well this was the second time he’s seeing Haemanta so not that he’d seen him many a times before, but Haemanta didn’t seem such weak a person though. Small White followed his gaze and it wasn’t a pleasant sight either.
It was evident! It’s all over for her! The Small White gently perched on Haemanta’s shoulder and soothed him…
She was born along with her siblings four months ago along with the Small White.
It was the showers of the Rainy Season that killed all her siblings.
She was rendered weak and unstable too. I shifted her to the terrace and the green and healthy environment cheered her up. I had to support her broken, weak, leg with sticks and didn’t hope for her to live. Within a month she improved and her leg was healing well.
I started hoping that she would live. Days after she matured she began bearing buds with her foster-mother – Sarad’s tending.
And soon started flowering…
What do you know! She began flowering profusely attracting Small White to her.
They became thick friends. She was always the one with a smiling face.
A month later she waited for her foster-father, Haemanta and the moment he arrived she was ready with her bouquet.
Haemanta hurried on, admiring her daughter’s beauty from a distance. He was told by Sarad that his daughter was doing well – very well and would live long… really long and that’s what I believed too.
Calendula Officinalis - Pot Marigold
But his associate – the dark daughter was jealous of his love towards his green daughter. She intentionally weakened her leg and I wasn’t there to help her! Unattended, she became helpless and as Haemanta neared her, she had no strength in her, but sent out two stalks of flowers with all the vigor that she had left in her, welcoming him and breathed her final breath.
Small White flapped gently and with his throat choking with sadness, he lifted himself up and joined the orange Hibiscus friend of his to mourn his best friend’s death…
