Born in Silence

I was born in the silence of an early foggy morning. I looked around and recognized a lot of my brothers and sisters – roses of all sorts and colours. They were all worth admiring and seemed to be very high and nobly beautiful. Their blooms were swaying in the breeze, drops of dew were sparkling on petals and leaves. I was looking at them from below, ashamed of my size and I didn’t even dream of speaking to one of these plants.
Then the fog cleared away and something shining brightly dazzled me (later I learned that it was called the ‘sun’). At the same time, the boundless space of the sky impressed me so deeply that I was stretching myself with all my might trying to reach it.
Two days passed. To my great amazement I had grown up and had become one of those beautiful roses myself. My petals were of vinous colour, my stalk had strengthened and threatening thorns had appeared.
I can’t help loving everything around me – this deep and genuine feeling overwhelmed me and I tried to share it with my relatives. But they laughed at my rapture and I was forced to stop talking about the beauty of the world. The flowers – there were not only roses, I got acquainted with poppies, lilies, pinks, and chrysanthemums – taught me the names of the objects around us. I was also told that every plant grows because it tries to reach the sun. I kept back how much I was aspiring with all my heart to reach the sky, not to the sun; I sincerely loved the sky. I think that’s why I was growing faster than any other flower in the garden.
At night everyone slept except me. I enjoyed being alone and talking to myself and thinking…trying to guess what all those unusual dots in the dark sky are for. I’m dreaming of them even now when I’m dying.
On the fifth night I was staring at the sky, unable to divert my attention from numerous objects above me and the big yellow one which was changing its form night by night. To tell the truth, I was afraid of it but while observing the sky, I soon got used to it. The night sky attracts me so much that I don’t notice anything else. So I don’t remember in detail what happened then.
Suddenly I saw an awful and ugly creature. “A Man”, – a sudden supposition crossed my mind. By all accounts, this Man takes care of plants in the garden but sometimes he cuts us off without hesitation. For a few minutes he stood still near the flower-bed, then bent down, seized my stalk. I tried to defend myself by using my thorns – a futile attempt – a sharp and cold blade separated me from my roots and my family. Having lost my roots I started to die.
The Man placed me in an oval glass container with water near the window and now I can observe my home-garden. How can this creature live here? No dew, no wind, no grass. What should I suffer for without anything that afforded me delight and pleasure. The Man has spent a lot of time looking at me thoughtfully. He seems to have been upset and gloomy. I turned all my energy to him trying to help and to improve his mood. If my intense desire could help him, I’d be happy for the rest of my life…

By Lyuba Buklemisheva