Once there was an unhappy King. His kingdom was peaceful and prosperous, he had everything a man could want, yet nothing brought him joy. Nothing made him smile. He was world-weary and empty. A great black cloud hovered over his castle. Then one day he had an unexpected visitor – the Lady Mirabelle.
“I brought you flowers, sire.” She handed him a basket filled with blooms.
“Flowers? ” King Anders was surprised, and just a tiny bit intrigued. He’d never really looked at a flower up close. These were pale pink, with petals like half moons circling round the center.
“What are these wondrous blooms?”
“Camellias, sire, picked from your very own garden.”
“My garden?” He vaguely remembered a walled enclosure, fragrant and tumbling with color. He hadn’t been there in many a year.
“Yes, sire, let me show you.” Lady Mirabelle took King Anders by the hand and led him into a different world.
The next few hours flew by, with one joyous discovery after another. The King was enthralled by dreamy purple muhly grass floating on the wind. He laughed aloud at brazen copper mums. He was astonished to learn that the tiny white buds of the Chinese Paper Bush would be globes of honey-scented gold by Candlemas.
“Flowers in the winter?”
“Your garden blooms all year round!”
King Anders could not stop smiling. He had found his life’s passion, a great treasure hidden in his own back yard.
“Who created this magnificent wonderland?”
“Twas I, sire.” An old man stepped out of a tiny house. King Anders could hear a kettle whistling inside and saw a table set for four. In a sudden flash, he remembered his dear mother and a younger version of the gardener introducing him to the secret garden. “Jock!” exclaimed the King, embracing him in a bear hug.
“Little Anders, all grown up, and now a King! Well, I never! Will you and the Lady join me and the Missus for an evening tea?”
“It would be an honor!”
Needless to say, they all lived happily ever after.
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A nice, heartwarming story, Juma. I think we all need a little light in an otherwise dark world at the moment.
Thank you so much, Carrie. Yes, I feel a need for light these days! I’m looking forward to the Winter Solstice in just three and a half weeks – I love it when the days start getting longer. I’m also looking forward to a Gem or two or three from you! Your stories always bring us light.
Beautifully written Juma! And a lovely, warm story! The simple pleasures we can often overlook are usually the ones we need!
Thank you, Emily. I agree with you about simple pleasures. May we never overlook them!
What a wonderful fairy tale, Juma, with the classical ingredients well woven into the story of nature, plants and bloom! It’s also a beautiful reminder of the old stories where the gem lies hidden in your own back yard while you are searching the world for it.
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Ha, ha, how refreshing Juma, the strength of simplicity. How wonderful is this fairy tale, I loved it. In fact I felt I could have been sitting on my Mother’s knee as she read it to me. I’m a Hundred years younger now. Mm! Almost! Ha, ha.
Eric, your comments are always wonderful, but this one is especially great! One hundred years younger indeed!! I had so much fun writing it, so I am glad you enjoyed hearing it “at your mother’s knee”. Bless you Eric, for your beautiful nature.
Yes Juma, you are correct –
Eric Radcliffe always posts great comments! I also really like his note above, we could all benefit from feeling like “I’m a Hundred years younger now” 🙂
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Hi Juma, it took me time to learn how to navigate this platform. Our recent chat prompted me to press the name tab where I found your stories. What a treasure trove. I love how the king’s experience showed how readily we can forget, or neglect, our gardens, and the beauty in every aspect within them. What a gem.
Andrew, thank you so much! I’m thrilled that you are reading my stories. I always wanted to write, and wrote poetry all my life, but flash fiction has now become my favorite medium. It’s much like poetry, where every word counts. This story reminds me to treasure the things close at hand – a great lesson from the pandemic.
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This was a beautiful story. I love fairy tales and you had all the ingredients there.
Thank you, Genya. I also love fairy tales, and I had a good time writing this one. So glad you enjoyed it!
A very nice fairy tale that implies simplicity brings a priceless joy that we sometimes overlook ❤️. I love the moral lesson of this story ❤️