The Crown Flower

The garden in front of the Bungalow looked a shade brighter in the rain. It can be described as a proper garden. The various kind of flowers' plants lined the perfect garden in their wooden boxes on red bricks paved floor. In the centre, there was something like a table made of wood. On it the scissors, watering can, and some other tools of the garden were resting peacefully.

"Stop staring at the girl, kiddo. Can you?" My father sighed as he entered my room and stood beside me.

"I'm not staring at that girl but just the garden." Without averting my eyes from the garden, I disagreed.

Observing that garden has become my habit since the day I came here. Actually not the garden, my eyes were always on those flowers and the little girl dad mentioned just now. I think she is around my age. 12-13 years old. From here I can't see her face, but her long hair always captured my attention.

"She didn't come today?" Dad asked as if he was also the one who waited for her.

I shook my head and divulged with disappointment. "No."

She comes twice in the garden daily to water the plants. But today she hasn't come yet, is she outside home?

Dad stroked my hair, making it messy. I hate it. He was ruining my hairstyle. "Kids these days are so fast. You haven't even seen her face. How can you already have a crush on her?" He was perplexed.

Now, I moved my gaze at him. "Not the girl. It's the flowers"

In that garden, there were many kinds of flowers that I were foreign to me. Especially the plant in the corner of the garden looked so unique.

That girl always talked with herself and smiled brightly whenever she watered that plant. Something was special about that plant. But it was out of the garden bed! Why is that?

Those features red, ball-shaped blooms topped by an impressive crown of small leaves and rising high at the end of the upright stem bearing lance-shaped glossy leaves.

"What are you planning to do? Will you go?" Dad asked, looking at me.

As I nodded my head, dad patted on my shoulder. "Be careful. Your grandfather is awake." He alerted me before he left my room.

I've never stridden into that garden just because my grandfather doesn't like me wandering outside and chatting with strangers. But not today! I am going to be disobedient grandson today. When it'll stop raining, I'll definitely go because I don't know in future if I'll get a chance again or not because we'll leave this place tonight.

Almost an hour later the relentless rain finally stopped. I took my shoes and slowly stepped out of the house, trying not to let my grandfather hear my footsteps who was packing his clothes. Yeah, I was here with my grandfather and father to spend our holiday.

I carefully closed the door behind me before glancing at the garden on the opposite side of our villa.

I started taking steps towards the garden slowly, rolling my eyes around the garden, checking if there was someone in the garden or not. Seeing no one there, I grinned and walked into the garden.

There was a big tree just beside the garden. I looked up at the clear sky through the gap between the leaves of the tree. The least of light was peeking from those gaps, and glittering the droplets of the leaves. Taking a deep breath, I looked down and fixed my gaze at that red flower in the corner.

Then I averted my gaze at the first plant of the line, producing delicate, fern-like leaves and fluffy yellow flowers.

I don't know why but I touched that yellow flowers of that plant. And I almost jumped as the compound leaves fold inward and droop. "It's scary. What's this?" I blinked my eyes at that flower. Should I touch it again?

I was bracing myself to examine it again But before I could do so, I heard footsteps roaming towards the garden.

Where should I run? I tried to find a way to run away. I turned to run to my Villa but was stopped by a girl's voice from behind.

"Wait there. Who is that in my garden?"

It seemed like the voice of a little girl around my age. Is it her? That long hair girl?

"Why are you running?" She shouted.

That's right. Why am I running? I didn't steal anything. I straightened myself and took a deep breath before turning to look at the girl.

Wow. She is so beautiful.

As the girl cleared her throat, I tilted my head and pointed the red blossom plant with my index finger. "I like that flower. I was here to take a closer look at it. It's beautiful." I professed in a firm tone.

The girl crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. "Everything looks beautiful from far away."

No, I think from a closer distance it'll look more beautiful.

"Don't go near that plant, if you don't want to get scared by that flower." She warned me before I could go further.

"Why?" I asked, raising my brows.

"That is a crown imperial blossom plant. One of the most bad-smelling flowers. They stink. They have a strong, musky scent, a bit like a skunk. That's why I'm keeping that out of my garden bed."

"Oh!" It's bad! Why does it stink?

My eyes then stopped at the plant I touched a while ago, I pointed my index finger on the scary plant beside me. "What about this one?" I inquired.

"The name of this plant is Mimosa pudica. Another name Shameplant, that responds to touch and other stimulation by rapidly closing its leaves and drooping to defend themselves from harm. Those leaves re-open again." The little girl explained.

Understood! This girl is smart enough and has a lot of knowledge about plants. But my curiosity on those plants has disclosed now. Now my new curiosity is this girl. There are so many girls in my school I study with. But none of them is as beautiful as her. She was simple but exceptionally beautiful. She was wearing a white t-shirt, a denim jacket over the t-shirt and a back ladies' jean with a scarf around her neck. She has long messy hair. But still pretty.

My gaze stopped at her hand, she was holding something in her hand. "It's your garden?" I queried curiously, trying to extend the topic to have a chitchat.

She nodded. "Do you like my garden?"

"Yeah. I love it." I replied jovially.

And She just stared at me for a while. Should I ask why is she staring at me? Before I could do so, she opened her fist and put the thing she was holding on the table and started tying her hair in a ponytail.

Why did she do that? She looked beautiful with her untied hair.

And what was that in her hand? A rose. Peach colour! "From where did you find this flower? The peach colour rose is rare here." Here I got a new topic to talk about.

After tying her hair, she just glanced at that rose for once before giving it to me. "Take this. I was planning to keep this inside my diary. But I'm giving this to you."

"Why are you giving this to me?" I've always known that roses are meant for special persons.

"Because you've liked my garden. And I'm happy." She paused and pressed her palm on her forehead as she reminded something. "I'm late. I really need to run now. My father will get angry. Bye. See you soon." She said before she turned around and started running towards the exit gate..

Don't leave already! I don't know anything about you.

"What's your name?" I shouted before she could disappear. Even I didn't know why did I ask.

The girl didn't stop running, she just turned her face at me. "You can call me crown flower." She shouted back and gave me a smile, still running. That smile!

Wait! What's wrong with my heart? This discomfort, It's unfamiliar.

I forced myself to stop thinking. "Yah. My name is Dylan...." I shouted but the girl was already out of sight. "Dylan Nelson. I'm going back to the city tonight." I muttered with disappointment while glancing at the rose she gave me.

That girl left a deep impression inside my heart that day. Something was really special about her. Why did she tell me to call her Crown flower? Which stinks?

"Dylan."

My eyes rounded in terror when I heard my grandfather's voice. He standing in front of the door. "Coming." I quickly made my way to the villa. Though my grandfather was very friendly, he was so strict. So there are so many things to get afraid of.

"Dylan, where did you go?" He asked me as he saw me running to him.

I bent to untied my shoe's knots and tried to find a good excuse to tell him.

"I sent him to call the caretaker." Dad saved me today. Or I was dead.

I let out a relieved sigh and mouthed a thank you to my dad. He gave me a warm smile. "Did you call him?"

"He is coming." I replied as I put my shoes outside and entered the house.

Times started passing like the speed of the light. Hours felt like minutes. Minutes felt like seconds. I was staring at the garden from the window of my room. Now my eyes weren't fixed on any flowers. My eyes were searching for the little girl. But she still hasn't come back. Where did she go?

"Dylan. Time to go." My grandfather reminded me.

Yes, it's time to go back. Too soon. I took a last glance at the garden before closing the window and rushed towards the outside of the house where my grandfather and dad were waiting.

I think dad noticed the sadness of my eyes. "You haven't met her?" He asked me in the car.

"I did."

"What's her name?"

"Crown flower."

He clenched his jaw. "What?"

I took a deep breath. "She has told me to call her crown flower."

The next year I forced my grandfather to come to Jeju to this penthouse again. I won convincing him but failed to see the person for whom I tried to win. I heard they sold this house and moved to the city. But which city? No one knows that. That crown flower lied to me. She said she'll see me soon. But she'd never showed up in front of me after that day.

The plants were not in that garden anymore. No, actually there was. But only one. The Crown Imperial flower plant! When I asked the new owner about this plant. He said he'll throw this plant away. They forgot to take this plant with them.

Days... Months... Years started passing by... The memory of the little girl started transferring to the down edge of my heart. The mark she left that day started to dense there like opaque paints. Like a glass covered with dust.

Now I know, people just notice the dirt settled on the glass of the windows but the dust on windowsills often goes unnoticed just like the long-faded memory. But it still stays there. In a corner of our crowded heart under so many certain memories. It may fade, but before fading away, it leaves with another mark. The mark which drawn with forever named ink.