Petals of Hope and Sorrow

by Kai Delmas

  Words are wind unless they are bound to a wish. And if that wish is bound to a petal of a heart flower it will come to pass.

I remember the beauty of your rose when I was little, Mama. The flower was encased in glass upon a pedestal in the living room for all to see. Its red petals gleamed with vibrant life, a testament to your and Papa’s love.

One day, petals began to fall. Only one at first but more thereafter. I remember the day you removed the rose in its glass case—so very few petals remained—and hid it in your closet where no one could see. It was my seventh birthday.

You and Papa kept yelling at each other until one day you fell silent. You could no longer utter a word and all I saw in your eyes was sorrow. I snuck a peek at your rose—only three petals remained.

Today I must plant my own heart flower and I can think of nothing that I have dreaded more. I remember the words you taught me so long ago.

May my flower grow rich with petals for my love to wish us well. But beware: words spoken cannot be broken. Only when the last petal drops is the heart set free.

I hope I will choose a better love to give my heart flower to. But more than that I wish for your last petals to drop, for you to be free.

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About the Author

Kai Delmas loves creating worlds and magic systems and is a slush reader for Apex Magazine. He is a winner of the monthly Apex Microfiction Contest and his fiction can be found in Martian, Tree and Stone, and several Shacklebound anthologies. Find him on Twitter @KaiDelmas.