The Flowers

The Flowers Zakir Hossain

There exists a small lake far away.

Near the lake is a small house.

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A little girl named Sumana lived in that house with her father and mother.

Sumana loved playing hide and seek with her mom and dad inside the house and in the gardens around her house.

2

There are many flower patches around the lake.

During the day, when she is not playing hide and seek Sumana sometimes skips away to different flower patches each day.

Though, mostly to the ones she likes the most, the jasmines.

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Sumana also loves butterflies a lot and whenever she sees them she dashes to catch some.

But they always fly up and all Sumana’s doleful heart

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Even if she cannot catch them, she chases them as she giggles joyfully until she gets tired.

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One day, Sumana decides to pluck out two of the jasmine flowers and bring them to her mom. Her mom smiles at her and they adorn the flowers on their ears.

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The next day, Sumana finds that the flowers she brought are withered. So she goes back to the same patch for some more.

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She chases the butterfly first and then plucks out four jasmines.

She brings them home hoping they will not be withered this time.

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But again, they are withered. Sumana feels sad.

But Mama cheers her up with some coconut laddoo, her favorite.

9

The next day, Sumana goes to the patch again.

She sees all the flowers in the patch are still fresh.

Her determined spirit speaks again and she starts plucking as usual.

But this time, she picks many of them; as much as it can fit her hands.

But the next day, they are withered too.

10

The next day, she skips again hurriedly.

Ready to chase her favorite butterflies.

Sadly, there were no butterflies.

Sumana waits for more butterflies to arrive.

And, with a curious mind, she fixed her wideeyed gaze at the leftover jasmines in the patch to see if they become withered.

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But sadly, no more butterflies flutter in.

Yet, she smiles as the jasmines in the patch are fresh and blooming.

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After some days, Sumana goes to the patch again.

To her surprise, there were more butterflies and more jasmines than the last time she was there.

She sits by the patch, throws some pebbles at the lake, and comes home.

But this time she did not pluck any flowers, nor chase the butterflies.

13

Some days later, Sumana goes again to the patch with some of the coconut laddoo her Mom made.

She is shocked and happy to see a big swarm of butterflies, some fluttering and others sitting on the jasmines.

She also finds the patch blooming with jasmines in abundance.

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Sumana does not chase the butterflies. Just peacefully sits down by the patch and eats her laddoo while also learning how to skipping more pebbles at the lake.

Suddenly, a butterfly comes and sits on her arms.

15

She gets excited and joyous.

Keeps her arm as still as possible for as long as possible.

It flies to a flower after a while, and right then she realizes there is another one sitting on her head.

She puts her hand up and it leaps into her fingers.

Sumana sat there in still, her eyes widening and gaping in astonishment as she caresses the butterfly.

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Sumana is utterly shocked. She chased butterflies many times but never caught any. When she did not, they came to her.

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Sumana comes home and her face is fizzed with bubbles of excitement as she chirps everything to her Mom.

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She asks her Mom why the butterfly came to her.

Her Mom chimes to her “Maybe it is the sweetness of your favorite laddoo. But I think the real reason is that they finally saw that you are also a flower.”

Curious Sumana wondered, “How?” Her Mom said, “Don’t you love sunshine?”

“Yes.” “Well, flowers also like sunshine. And just like you, they like butterflies too.”

19

Every time Sumana went to flower patches again, she rarely plucked any flowers, just sat by them.

And took more laddoo to see if more butterflies came.

20

Citations

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Pg. 13. “Little girl Sumana smiling by jasmine ower patch and many butter ies in the sky” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024, https:// re y.adobe.com/.

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Pg. 11. “Little girl Sumana gazing at jasmine ower patch curiously” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024, https:// re y.adobe.com/.

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Pg. 10. “Little girl Sumana with a bunch of jasmine owers smiling” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024, https:// re y.adobe.com/.

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Pg. 9. “Little girl Sumana smiling to her mom. Her mom smiling at her and giving her coconut laddoo” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024, https:// re y.adobe.com/.

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Pg. 8. “Little girl Sumana running with some owers. Some butter ies in the sky” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024, https:// re y.adobe.com/.

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Pg. 6. “Little girl Sumana with her mom with black hair, with jasmine owers on their ears” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024, https:// re y.adobe.com/.

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Pg. 5. “Little girl Sumana looking up to butter ies and giggling” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024, https:// re y.adobe.com/.

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Pg. 4. “Little girl Sumana chasing at butter ies yellow and smiling ” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024, https:// re y.adobe.com/.

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Pg. 3. “Little girl Sumana looking at butter ies and smiling” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024, https:// re y.adobe.com/.

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Pg. 2. “Small house near a lake with owers with a little girl with black hair named Sumana” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024, https:// re y.adobe.com/.

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Pg. 1. “Small house near a lake with owers” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024, https:// re y.adobe.com/.

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Cover. “Background cover with owers and butter ies, in paper layer ” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024, https:// re y.adobe.com/.

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Pg. 16. ““Little girl Sumana eating some coconut laddoo by jasmine ower patch. Some butter ies in the sky and one sitting on her head” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April.

2024, https:// re y.adobe.com/.

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Pg. 18. “Little girl Sumana excited and smiling. Looking at her mom and her mom looking at her and smiling” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024, https:// re y.adobe.com/.

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Pg. 20. “Little girl Sumana sitting by ower patch and eating some coconut laddoo while smiling joyously. Some butter ies in the sky. ” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024, https://

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Pg. 15. “Little girl Sumana eating some coconut laddoo by jasmine ower patch. Some butter ies in the sky and one on her arm” prompt, Firely, version 3, Adobe, 28 April. 2024,