One summer morning Bardolf got up to headed out to pick some vegetables. After he is through, he heads down to the river to get some water to boil the vegetables. With a basket in one hand and a bucket in the other, Bardolf was proud that he was thriving.

On this particular day when Bardolf was heading down to the river, he heard voices. He hid behind a tree as to not be seen. The voice was that of a woman and a child. A mother and daughter are having a conversation. He hears the woman say a name over and over, “Julissa, Julissa. Where are you?”

“I am over here momma.” Said the young girl with excitement in her voice.

“ What are you doing over here?” asks her mother.

“ Look I found a lake. You can see fish swimming in it. I would love to be a bear and reach my hand right in there and grab one. Wouldn’t that be neat momma?”

“ Julissa. You are supposed to be helping clean up. Why are you daydreaming about bears? Come on now with you. You will have plenty of time for silliness. Right now you need to be helping.”

“OK, Momma. I will come.”

Bardolf watched the two wonder away. He felt excited and elated. The way her mother treated her daughter was a treat to watch. She was so kind and gentle with Julissa. She never raised her voice or scolded her for walking away. The way that the mother spoke to Julissa was the way Bardolf’s mom spoke to him. She was not condescending like the orphanage workers. Bardolf hides behind the tree for a long while. He anticipates seeing the two again. At least Julissa. It has been a long while since he has seen any human being. It is refreshing to see nice ones. Bardolf decides to get his water and heads back to the cottage.

Bardolf cannot stop thinking about Julissa and his friendly mother. Julissa was pretty. She had simple brown eyes and blonde hair that was above her shoulder. She wore a simple green dress with an ivory apron over it. She wore shoes that had buttons all the way up to her calf and had a pair of white stockings. Against the stark white stockings her ivory apron seemed very dingy.

Bardolf catches himself getting excited about the next day’s errands. He decides to pack a little snack and hid in the woods just for the anticipation of seeing her again. He leaves extra early because he does not want to miss seeing Julissa and her mother.

Bardolf’s days go on just like this. Getting up early and hiding for a long while. He no longer stands behind the tree. He climbs the tree and makes camp on a branch. He has such a better vantage point to watch what Julissa is doing. She comes down every morning to get water for her families food and for any clean up that they might need. Julissa is always so cheerful, and he loves watching another person do the simple chores that he, himself has to do. Bardolf loves her simple disposition. Bardolf contemplates every day on whether or not he should approach her. He knows that the two would be wonderful friends. He can picture the two talking about anything and everything.

Summer was coming to a close. The nights were not seeming as short and the days were not as long. One morning when Bardolf was in his tree, he waited and waited for Julissa, but he never saw her from across the water. As he sat in his favorite spot perched on a tree, he started to get worried that something happened to her. He waited almost half the day when he caught sight of her. She was walking towards his tree. She was not on the other side of the water where she was supposed to be. He had never seen her up close. He felt his heart racing. He looked down at her. She did not see him. He sat very still.

Julissa had some seeds in her hand. She planted something. She watered it a little. He then heard her speak. “I will be going away for now. I hope I will come back again someday. I don’t know if we will. Mother and Father talked about how dismal this area is and how they wished we went somewhere with more amenities. I leave a little part of me behind with these Forget me not seeds. I hope you flourish and never forget me.” With that, Julissa turned and ran away.

Bardolf wanted to jump down and chase after her. He wanted to tell her he saw her every day and always wanted to say hi but didn’t. Bardolf felt regret right away. He never took the time to get to know her or even say hi. They might have become friends, but he was to scared. What if he changed in front of her and harmed her in some way. He should of at least said hi.

Bardolf’s routine did not change that much after Julissa left to go back home. He still got up early and harvested his food or hunted for the day. He still made the trip to get water every day for cooking and drinking. The only change he did was stopping to care for the seeds Julissa had planted. It was nice to care for something and to have something depend on you. It gave Bardolf a small purpose.

As the days passed, the seeds started to grow into a beautiful plant. Bardolf decided to name Julissa’s plant. He loved the beautiful bluish purplish hew that the petals took on in the morning. He started to call her Violetta. He thought she was beautiful. Because of the love that Bardolf had bled into her Violetta started to transform. Her transformation was nothing like his. She became beautiful. Long, lean arms. Beautiful face with puckered lips. The way her petals and leaves flowed around her face, it was almost as if she had beautiful long flowing locks.

Every morning that Bardolf comes to water Violetta he shares all of his stories. He talks about the good times he remembers having with his family as well as that horrid night. He talked about the orphanage and the cruelty of the workers. He let Violetta know how alone he was in the world. As he feeds these horrible stories to her, his sweet, mild mannered Violetta started to become more Cynical in her mannerisms. In the beginning, she would sit and smile at Bardolf with open eyes. She would react by putting petals over her mouth and shaking her head. She would be in awe. Soon she started not to react. Where she would grimace, she would now stare in the open with a slight smirk on her mouth. Never reacting never saying anything.

Next Chapter: The Plan