【Short Story】Where the Crimson Flowers Bloom

Subtitle: In an abandoned garden, summer comes back with gentle memories.

With a sketchbook clutched in my hand, I quietly slip into the garden next door.

An old wooden fence wraps around it, but there is a broken gap—just wide enough for a child to squeeze through.

Inside, the garden is a wild tangle of weeds. Yet, rising high toward the heavens, several hollyhocks bloom in vibrant splashes of crimson and soft pink.

Only a year ago, whenever I peeked my head into this sanctuary, the old woman from next door would be there, plucking weeds. "Well, look who it is. Come inside," she would welcome me, offering a cool, sweet slice of watermelon.

Now, she lives in a care facility.

"The Cock-a-Doodle-Doo Flower? What on earth is that! They’re hollyhocks!" "Yes, I know," she had replied softly. "But for my generation, 'Cock-a-Doodle-Doo Flower' just feels closer to the heart."

She told me how the base of a hollyhock blossom is naturally sticky. If you press that sticky end onto the bridge of your nose or your forehead, it looks just like a rooster’s comb.

Though not on her nose or forehead, Grandma actually showed me how to do it right on her fingers.

Sure enough, a bright red petal clung to her finger like a proud, crimson crest.

"When we were children, we would put these on and run around crying 'Cock-a-doodle-doo!', pretending to be roosters."

Sinking onto the weed-choked ground, I open my sketchbook.

The sliding glass doors of her veranda are tightly shut. The only sounds drifting through the quiet air are the distant, muffled murmurs of the neighbourhood’s daily life.

"When the blossoms open all the way to the very top, that's when summer arrives," Grandma used to say.

With a bright red crayon, I draw a large, round, blooming flower.

Then another. And another.

Summer is just around the corner.

But Grandma is no longer here.

(The End)

[Author's Note]

• The "Cock-a-Doodle-Doo Flower" (Kokekokko-bana):In some parts of Japan, people call the hollyhock the "Cock-a-Doodle-Doo flower." If you pick it, the base of the flower is sticky. Long ago, children used to stick that sticky part right onto the tip of their nose or forehead, pretend to be roosters, and shout "Cock-a-doodle-doo!" while playing together.

• A Sign of Summer: Hollyhocks bloom from the bottom of the stem upward. In Japanese tradition, people say that when the blossoms finally open all the way to the very top, full summer has arrived.

• The Engawa (Japanese Veranda): The engawa is a traditional wooden porch in Japanese homes, sitting right between the house and the garden. It is a cosy place where people sit to eat watermelon, chat with friends, or watch the garden. In this story, the closed doors show the quiet sadness of a home without its lovely owner.