1 Green heart chapter 1

i once believed that life was a gift. i thought

whatever i wanted i would someday possess.

is that greed, or only youth? is it hope or

stupidity? as far as i was concerned the future

was a book i could write to suit myself, chapter after chapter of good fortune . all was right with the world, and my place in it was assured, or so i thought then. i had no idea that all stories unfold like white flowers, petal by petal, each in its own time and reason, dependent on circumstance and fate. the future is something no one can foretell. my family had always lived on the ridgetop above the village in a county where days were sunny and warm. at twilight, dusk wove across the meadows like a dream of the next day to come. people said we were blessed, and maybe that was true. my father was honest and strong. my mother collected blue jay feathers, preferring them to her pearls. my little sister, Aurora, was as wild as she was beautiful. Aurora could climb a tree in the blink of an eye. she could disappear into the woods like moonlight. she could dance for hours and never fire. i was the least among them, nothing special, just a girl. i was a moody, dark weed; still, they called me green because of my talents in the garden. my mother was the one who taught me everything i knew - to bury old boots beneath peach trees to ensure they'll bear the sweetest frust, to douse roses with vinegar-water to chase away beetles, to plant when the moon wanes and harvest when it is on the rise.