It’s the beginning of July and young Susan is working in her garden. The bountiful flowers bloomed in so many different colors it was like her front yard was a rainbow. Young (as she was only twelve) Susan walked from flower to flower, examining it’s luscious petals and tenderly giving them some water. Her whole world revolved around that flower garden. Her only friends were the flowers, but she preferred it that way. Without her garden she felt that life was meaningless. So what would her life look like if everything she worked so hard for was suddenly snatched away?

It happened on a mid-summer night in the early days of July. Susan had gotten up early, like she did on every day, in order to give her flowers their morning sprinkle. As she put on her favorite rain boots, which were decorated with watermelons, she noticed a single flower lying in the middle of the yard. She sprinted outside, her heart pounding wildly at the thought of losing one of the few purple carnations. When she stepped out on the front porch, her whole being went numb. There, strewn across the yard, were just a few flowers from her entire garden. The others were simply gone.

“Who could do such a thing?!” she cried as she somberly walked around, picking up loose petals and limp flowers. “My friends…gone.” Poor young Susan– her little heart was broken at the sight of the destruction. Her mother held her as she wept for her beloved flowers, knowing that soon she would have to move on and plant other flowers in their places.

She wiped her tears and headed back outside to clean up the wreckage. As she was cleaning, Susan noticed that there was a note folded up on her garden. She opened the note and read it. The note said “Hello Susan! My name is Lolli! I couldn’t help but notice your lovely flowers. I own a flower shop just down the road. It was very wrong of my employees, but they decided to take your beautiful flowers to use in my arrangements. To show my deepest apologies, I am going to be letting you pick out whatever flowers you would like to plant from my shop! There is no limit on the amount! Please accept this as an apology for the actions of my greedy employees.”

Susan’s hopes were lifted at the thought of being able to replenish all of the flowers she had stolen from her. Her bitterness vanished at the thought of others being able to enjoy her magical flowers.

Eventually, Susan planted all new flowers into her gardens and they were once again flourishing under her tender care. She even managed to find time to volunteer at Lolli’s flower shop to help those flowers bloom wonderfully. Each year, Susan donated her flowers to the shop and handed out bountiful vases overflowing with an array of colors. She made people smile who didn’t often smile with simply handing them a vase full of flowers.

Susan and her flowers then lived happily ever after.