The Anemonic Tragedy

By Fida Nasreen

Greetings, fellow readers! This narrator shall present to you on this auspicious day, a very interesting folklore unfortunately forgotten by the ton, yet to this day lived by many a precious soul.

Long ago in the garden of Eden, where flowers bloom when love and sorrow intertwine, took place the prestigious birth of the one and only Anemone; the tender offspring of Adonis and Aphrodite. Being the beloved daughter of a love story far bygone but never unremembered, the flower was welcomed heartily by the lineal descendants of the garden. The innocence just dawned in her knew no bounds to happiness. She was indeed taken over by the beauty the Eden has her offered, and too timid, might I remind, was she to anticipate any intent malicious, within the facade of goodness that surrounded her.

The anemone has been no ordinary flower. Within her precious chambers resided mystery: her pink and delicate petals, carved in exquisite design, not only did exhibit the charm of luring people in, but also phenomenally stood out as a source of solace to any ailment known to mankind. The avaricious as well the generous, were undoubtedly aware of the magic she held. Heaven forbid the agony the poor creature shall suffer to redeem herself for her sorcery.

On one fine day, when the Anemone roused from the night’s quiet slumber, lied ahead stained in dirt and bloodshed, a peculiar bee gasping for breath. Alarmed, the pretty enchantress let her walls down to enquire about the tragedy that befell the bee.

“Oh, dear! How, shall I know, have you found yourself in such a misfortune, at which no valiant heart would fail to lament?”

“I was only trying to protect you, dear young lady.”

“Whatever, do you mean? I fail to understand.”

“Allow me the honour of presenting myself, a humble servant, dear empress. I, a worker bee, have sought shelter along with my clan on the Tree of Life. Just yesterday, we, the deemed unfortunate, encountered a dreadful occurrence quite unprepared for. Our new virgin queen, has become prone to an atrocious affliction. Our whole cluster is presumably, in the danger of extinction. For time long enough have our ears been blessed about the tales of the magic you hold, and an immature drone with a few hostile peers, attempted to seize the opportunity of  your dream-laden rest to try and snatch away a portion of the same. Shall I admit that I would very much favour choosing valour to save my tribe with whatever means, even if that would mean succumbing to demise, but not while I draw breath, would I ever enable an atrocity of injustice, especially on you, whom I cherish so dear to my heart. In vain turned out my trials for mutual accord; I found myself in a difficult predicament of fighting my beloved family to save your precious honour.”

“Oh, you poor humble soul! Only if you had managed to wait till dawn, I would have giddily, pampered you with the elixir you much deserve for your moral fortitude. My dear friend, be kind enough to accept this, and shall I wish upon myself the fortune of crossing paths with you often?” Upon no second thought, she let a petal fall from her bloom, as a token of gratitude to the bee.

“Why would I ever trouble myself with the misfortune of your friendship? I have managed, rather successfully, to fetch the desire of my heart by pulling your leg at the very least of your distrust. I am a somewhat clever entity, I must admit, to be able to fool a godly creature like you. Had not been for your witchcraft and celestial beauty, you shall come across only as insignificant as an insipid wallflower.” The bee rose himself up from the dirt and the disguise faltered at once. The smirk on his face could not care less of the tears rolling down her face as she began to realize a fraction of her bliss has fallen into the hands of the unworthy.

Now, one of the benevolent inhabitants on Eden was a prickly cactus, who had stumbled upon the conversation between Anemone and the wicked bee. In the manner of a valiant warrior did she stride forward, gracefully, to snatch the petal back from the bee’s malicious clutch.

“Flee immediately unless you would like to witness what becomes of your tragically short-lived life if you ought to spare yet another moment in my attendance.” The bee dashed away, into the unseen distance, immediately. 

“Very much am I indebted to your gallantry.” Anemone inched forward towards the cactus. “There are times often, do I find myself pondering, if life would be easier had I just been a wallflower, with neither beauty nor magic.”

“Do your eyes ever behold the sight of the wallflower over there?” The cactus gestured toward the stone wall nearby.

“Have I never, came across the sight of her until this very moment. Oh, how well she seems, so content to linger in peace no one else bothers to disrupt.”

“I must admit, I have fallen a victim to her endless soliloquies and I shall, without a penny of doubt, admit that she wishes for a life as yours, dear Anemone. She fails to recognize the turmoil such a life drags you through. Similarly, you cannot ever be quite sure of her seemingly peaceful life and the magnitude of its diversion from the desires of her heart. This is what the dwellers of the Eden proclaim as, the Anemonic tragedy. You shall be the first of your kind to go through this kind of agony, but I doubt if you would ever be the last. Perhaps, fostering companionship with the untainted kind, as that of the wallflower, shall enlighten yourself with the fact that each life comes with battles of its own. And without a slightest blemish of malice from time to time, beloved lady, who shall ever appreciate the sorcery of the virtuous white?” Through the exchange of such profound wisdom, bloomed an allegiance between the Anemone and the prickly cactus, mightier than the powers of the cosmos.

Alas! The fairytale has come to an end. This narrator shall come yet again to enchant the eyes of the audience with folklores similar: woven into the realm of existence, quite exquisitely through divine grace.

By Fida Nasreen