The bride’s request was clear. No exorbitant bouquet, no expensive orchids. Simply one ginger lily to carry on her journey down the aisle.
She was adamant – he was dismayed, certain that no ginger lilies had bloomed on earth since the Great Tsunami of 2035. Its inundation combined with a rapidly spreading invasive fungus ravaging all the Eastern Hemisphere had resulted in major floral changes. Hence, no ginger lilies.
But she remained adamant! Her grandmother and mother had each carried a single ginger lily in their weddings. Tradition stated that her future happiness was contingent upon carrying such a lily.
He thought, plotted, and planned. In his research he discovered a botanist who in 2030 had amassed a tropical flower collection which exceeded all others. This collection was purported to have been placed in a greenhouse in a hidden garden on an unknown island in the South Seas. Could it possibly contain this flower? Would the lily still be propagated in this year of our Lord 2050?
Armed with this knowledge and much confidence, he began his search. After months of calling in chits from all his friends and business associates, he financed an exploration to the South Pacific. Days were spent fruitlessly island hopping, nights spent in frustrated dreams. He had now been gone for almost a year, doggedly pursuing this flower.
Finally, the day came when he discovered the island, the hidden garden, the greenhouse, and, then, the lily!
Waiting for him beside the greenhouse was a drone from South Seas-Amazon Messenger Service. The delivered telegram read:
“Stop searching. Stop. Married your best friend. Stop. Carried bouquet of freesia. Stop.”
    5 1 vote
    Post Rating
    13 Comments
    Oldest
    Newest Most Voted
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    Sandra James
    Sandra James(@sandra-james)
    3 years ago

    I certainly didn’t see that ending coming, Susan! I alternated between a chuckle and feeling sad for the jilted groom but in the end ‘she’ didn’t deserve a man who would go to such lengths and I’m sure he’ll find the true love he deserves. Great story 🙂

    Susan Dawson
    Susan Dawson(@susan-dawson)
    3 years ago

    2 twists for me. I thought it was going to be a present day romance with a nostalgic reason for the flower, then realised it was futuristic, and of course the ending!

    musing mind
    musing mind(@musing-mind)
    3 years ago

    I loved your story in the future, looking at the groom’s perseverance, I was certain that he would get what he wanted, but alas. Great story.

    Katerina Bizirtsaki
    Katerina Bizirtsaki(@katerina-bizirtsaki)
    Reply to  Susan Giles
    3 years ago

    You are so right! Of course, I didn’t expect anything less from the author herself.

    Eric Radcliffe
    Eric Radcliffe(@eric-radcliffe)
    2 years ago

    Oh! The poor man, after all the trouble he went through to show his love. I have a sneaky feeling his best friend must have financed his search?

    Carrie OLeary
    Carrie OLeary(@carrie-oleary)
    2 years ago

    I felt terribly bad for the poor man in this story, but then wondered if his fiancée had been giving out signals of not wanting to get married by setting an, apparently, impossible task. Nicely written story with some unexpected twists.

    Lotchie Carmelo
    Lotchie Carmelo(@lotchie-carmelo)
    2 years ago

    I didn’t expect that last twist. Well created. Great job 

    Lotchie Carmelo
    Lotchie Carmelo(@lotchie-carmelo)
    Reply to  Susan Giles
    2 years ago

    You’re welcome, I enjoyed all your stories. I can’t wait for the new one.

    Recent Comments

    13
    0
    Selected Authors may submit comments (5 Credits)x
    ()
    x
    Scroll to Top

    Sharing a Post

    Why do my friends need to SignIn to read the post I shared?

    Actually, this is a voting security feature. During public voting, only club members can read posts submitted for that contest. Since anyone reading the story is able to vote (click the Like button), we reserve these capabilities to members who SignIn. Before we implemented this security feature, people were voting multiple times and making the public voting process unfair and out of balance. To fix this, our staff finally decided to allow only members who SignIn to read the stories. Membership is free and easy, and ensures our club is safe, secure, and family-friendly!