Gemotions

"Plant a rose garden," the list urged. Her mother's favourite flower. Charlotte found an old, faded sketch of what her mother had envisioned.

She bought the most expensive roses she could find, the most fragrant and beautiful. She planted them with deliberate care, watering them, fussing over them. She knew her mother would have loved it.

But she left the weeds to grow, she ignored the pests. She watched as the beautiful flowers slowly wilted and died, a bitter smile playing on her lips. They became a symbol of her own internal rot.