Lily's Garden

         Lily loved nature. Lily loved plants. But Lily especially loved flowers. It, perhaps, had come with her name, or perhaps her blood was mixed with nectar. Either way, she loved her garden. Everyday she watered it; everyday she planted a new flower; and everyday the garden grew longer and wider. Soon, the edges began to fill up, and Lily wondered where to put the rest of her flowers. She turned the whole yard into her garden and smiled at her work, eager to start planting. Son, this filled up too, and she wondered again where to put her flowers. She put them on her porch; she put them in the walkway; in the windows, on the table, in the bedroom. Every inch of the floor was filled.

Amelia visited and fussed, “I can hardly even walk. Get rid of them!” But Lily disagreed completely. These were her flowers, plus, what would she do without them?

Don visited and fussed, “I lost my book in this mess. Get rid of them!” But she still disagreed. These were her flowers, and what would she do without them?

Her flowers began to pile up until she had to push them out of the way to even try to sit! Jill visited and fussed simply, “Get rid of them!” But Lily could only disagree. These were her flowers, and what would she o without them?

The flower piles grew and grew and grew until they reached the ceiling. She had to climb a ladder just to water each one! But one day, when Lily woke up, she couldn’t move. She twisted left, but was surrounded by flowerpots. She twisted right, but was surrounded by flowerpots. And when she tried to sit up, a whole pile of daisies and roses and tulips fell on her. It was then, covered in dirt and petals, that Lily realized she had too many flowers. When selling them, she realized that they disappeared far faster than they had come. And it was there, in a house empty of but a few flowers and a garden sparse of them, that Lily admitted that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.