Lucy loved visiting her grandma and grandpa. They lived in a small country house with a large and beautiful garden.
Grandma and Grandpa loved being together in the garden more than anywhere else and could almost always be found there, busy digging, weeding, pruning, and planting.
They also loved when their granddaughter Lucy visited, as she was always so helpful and interested.
Grandma enjoyed being among the flower beds more than anything else, while Grandpa was always happiest in the vegetable garden.
Grandma grew flowers of all kinds – fallen daisies, tall lupines, giant sunflowers, and tiny forget-me-nots.
But her favorite flowers were her roses. She loved their colors, delicate petals, and wonderful fragrance. Grandpa grew vegetables of all kinds in nice straight rows – carrots, cabbages and beets, huge curved pumpkins, and long pole beans.
They often spent the whole day together in the garden, from sunrise to sunset, stopping only for a chat with a cup of tea and a slice of Grandma’s delicious fruitcake.
They were so happy together, and even happier when Lucy came to stay and help. They taught her how to plant seeds, care for young seedlings, prune, weed, and harvest fresh vegetables and flowers.
However, those long and happy days did not last forever. Unfortunately, Grandma became very ill. She was so unwell that she had to stay in bed and could not go out to the beloved garden. Grandpa moved their bed close to the window so Grandma could see her wonderful flowers. He also cut a fresh bouquet for her every day and placed it in a vase beside her. There she could smell their fragrant perfume.
It was there, on a quiet morning, that Grandma took one last look at her beloved garden, smiled, closed her eyes, and passed away in Grandpa’s arms.
Lucy could not visit Grandpa for several weeks. Her mother said she should wait a little.
When she finally did, she was so sad to find Grandpa sitting quietly on the porch, rocking in his chair.
The garden also looked sad, with weeds creeping among the flowers and vegetables that had dried up and wilted.
Grandpa told Lucy that he felt so sad to go to the garden, as he missed Grandma so much. Lucy stared at the neglected garden.
“Grandpa,” she suddenly said, “doesn’t the garden remind you of the happy times with Grandma?” Grandpa still looked sad. Lucy gently held Grandpa’s hand. “Look, the roses remind you of Grandma’s rosy cheeks, don’t they?” she whispered. Grandpa smiled faintly.
“And look, the forget-me-nots are blue like Grandma’s eyes.” Grandpa’s smile widened.
“And the sunflowers? They remind me of Grandma’s smile. I can almost see Grandma now,” she said beaming. At that moment, Grandpa had tears of happiness in his eyes and hugged Lucy.
“You’re right. I can see Grandma too!” he smiled. “Come on, we have work to do!”
Lucy spent all her free time in the following years planting and caring for the garden with Grandpa.
Late at night, as twilight fell, Lucy and Grandpa sat on the porch with a cup of hot chocolate, tired but satisfied with the day’s work.
After a quiet moment together, Lucy said, “Grandpa, the garden will always remind me of you too.”
Grandpa smiled, squeezed her hand, and closed his eyes, knowing that their garden would always be in good hands.
Neil Griffiths, Grandma and Grandpa’s Garden, Wiltshire, Red Robin books, 2007