The journey back with full buckets on the cart always seems longer. Today, the wonderful views along the road brighten the monotony: the piercing blue of the sky, the contrasting cloud shadows, and the play of light on the damp grass create a melancholic harmony.
Suddenly, a thought, as simple as the first snowdrop: pick a bouquet for Mom? She would smile—I haven't seen her smile truly in a long time, except when she wasn't thinking about my dangerous path.
Another thought crept in, sending a chill down my spine: what about the princess? What if she finds out? After all, these flowers grow on the kingdom's soil, and I'm just picking them. Will she suspect me of frivolity? Of daring to think about someone else? The classic dilemma—a mother's smile versus the royal wrath, real or imagined.
I stand among the flowers, holding two buckets, and wonder: isn't this the whole human tragedy? We fear punishment for the beauty we want to give. We fear living life to the fullest because of the rules we create in our heads. Doubts suck us in like swamp mud.
I picked up one flower—yellow, with delicate petals, like a miniature sun. I decided: I'll take it by the roots for Mom. The princess might be angry if she finds out, but I can't live in fear of every step. This is my choice—a small one, perhaps foolish, but mine. What if she's not so angry? Maybe she'd smile if she knew I wanted to make Mom happy?
Childish naivety..
I walked home with a flower in my hand. The buckets swayed in the cart, the water splashed, and I thought: maybe I don't need a sword or magic? Maybe it's enough to carry water, pick flowers, and love those around me? Yet, somewhere deep inside, I still see myself as a knight—clumsy, ironic, but true. Maybe without armor or heroic deeds, but with flowers in my hands and a dream in my heart.
To hell with doubts! The flower has already been plucked, nothing can be changed. In this absurd theater of life, sometimes the only right decision is the one that warms the soul now. Life is short, and a mother's embrace is priceless.
I carefully dug up a few more particularly beautiful flowers, roots and all—bright, bold, with petals that trembled in the wind, as if whispering secrets. If I were going to do something, I'd better do it right. May they live long, delight the eye, and remind me of my filial love every day. I carried them carefully, as if afraid they'd melt away in a single breath, like my dreams of greatness.