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Lilies

Lily

you were the one.
I wanted to post this earlier, as it's my birthday today...but sppf was down. o.o


Lilies



I bought a single wrapped lily yesterday; that was all the flower shop had. Had I remembered to buy flowers beforehand, I would’ve preordered a bouquet instead. It would’ve been filled with bright yellow daffodils—the ones she used to plant every summer.

You must wonder why I didn’t give up and move on to another flower shop. I’d love to say that the lone lily slightly wilting on the bare shelf reminded me of the harshness of life and sparked a sense of courage and determination in me. No, the reason was not as sentimental as I hoped for. I simply ran short of money. A bouquet of daffodils, regardless of location, would’ve cost far more than what I had, so when the kind receptionist offered a small discount for being the last customer, I immediately agreed. She even tied a pink ribbon around the delicate tissue paper holding the dying flower together, smiling apologetically.

“Is this for your girlfriend?” she asked softly, fingering the waxy coating of the petals.

“No…not really,” I replied. She nodded, as if understanding, and left it at that.




My hometown has scarcely changed. Year after year, fewer people recognize me, and year after year, I insist on delivering the same present. Beyond the bulk of the town, there resides a secluded area behind an abandoned house. A cold, gray block of stone quietly sits in the midst of rampaging weeds.

There are no more signs of flowers. There are no signs of life.

“I’m back,” I announced. A vague, eerie aura radiated from her grave, reminding me just how much I wanted to get out of there. “I er...I brought flowers.” I shrugged helplessly, setting down the lily. I never expected a response, but it was as if the place alone was silently reprimanding me for such feeble presentation. Was it even possible to feel anger towards the unseen?

“Look, the flower lady had none left. I did the best I can.” I mindlessly kicked the ground, spraying dirt on her grave. “And…I have a meeting today. I’m an important official at the Pokémon League, you know,” I said, “and I have a pretty high rank. Not many get them these days.”

What cold, cold silence. I averted my eyes toward the sky, wishing I could be like one of those birds that did nothing but lazily fly around the whole day…

“So…did I tell you about our divorce?” I hesitated. “That was last year, though. Did I tell you I’m with another girl now? She’s really pretty…I think you would’ve liked her. Not as violent, let’s say,” I chuckled. “But she likes me and I…I like her, too.” This was a downright lie and I knew it, but why did it matter anyhow? No one was listening.

“I’m marrying her, you know. Brock’s doing the catering. Speaking of Brock, he’s settled down now. Finally found a girl.” This was, again, a lie. He never married. “It’s funny, isn’t it? You probably don’t know this, but he used to chase after them all the time.” But of course she knew. “It was really funny, too. Usually Max had to drag him away, but before that, it was always Misty…” I sighed at the mention of her name. There were some memories best left forgotten, best left unsaid.

“Oh, speaking of Max, he’s taken after Norman. He’s a pretty hard gym leader. I lost to him, once. Can you believe it? And Norman is…doing okay. He’s retired happily,” I lied again. Norman died a few months ago. “About May, she’s a coordinator. A good one, actually. I’ve seen her in contests, although she was devastated when her Beautifly…left…her…” I stopped. “But she caught another Wurmple and hopes to raise it into a Beautifly. She claims it’ll be better than her old one. May’s so ambitious, isn’t she? And the Wurmple is really cute,” I laugh. “It..It’ll crawl on your pants when you least expect it and has the most curious eyes…”

I kicked at the ground again, trailing my eyes towards the gravestone with the single lily safely tucked in the bottom, nearly immersed in weed. I smiled.

“So…everyone’s happy. Everyone’s doing just fine. I don’t think you should worry anymore, wherever you are. As you can see, we’re all content here.” I paused briefly. “I just want you to know I have a life. I’m…I’m an adult. Hard to believe, isn’t it?” I asked, laughing lightly. “So...I don’t think I’ll be coming back here next year. You know, I have lots of things to do, very busy…”

I bent down, and out of an oddity of compassion, touched the lily one last time. It’d die and rot here, inevitably mixing into the earth, hopefully reaching places where I wouldn’t be going for a while.

“Happy Birthday, mom,” I told her, and quietly left.
 
Last edited:

Sike Saner

Peace to the Mountain
Whoa…

The last time I read something of yours, I remember that it just hit like a bullet. Now I’m finding myself possessed of a similar feeling once again… o.o

There’s just this incredible, very human quality to the character here. Ash’s thoughts and feelings at his mother’s grave are believeable and conveyed effectively. The way he lies, tells her that everything is fine even when it’s not necessarily so good as he says, as if unwilling, even after her passing, to say anything to her that might worry, sadden, or otherwise upset her…It’s sad, but in that lovely sort of way—brings me to the verge of tears, yet I can’t help but smile at it.

Also, this:

There are no more signs of flowers. There are no signs of life.

*shiver* That’s seriously powerful. And lovely, to boot.


All in all, that was a lovely piece with the kind of nice, sentimental impact that I always enjoy. Boss work—and happy birthday! ^____^
 

+Rhapsody+

DELETE DELETE
Your prose is very emotional, I must say. The language you used portrayed the point (however small it was) very clearly. I enjoy works which are short and sweet like this.

I saw no clear mistakes, but that must be because it's late and I'm high on soda. XD
 

Souku

Well-Known Member
A beautiful story. You executed it wonderfully, I really like how short it was. I mean, if it was drawn out any longer, would it be able to convey such emotion? Probably not.

And, happy birthday. :)
 

katiekitten

The Compromise
Aw... ;_;

A very sad, lovely little oneshot. I really liked it, it was very real.

Happy birthday! *presents with cake*
 

Lily

you were the one.
Aw..thank you for the comments. I admittedly kinda rushed at the end, though. ^_^;

Again, thank you!

*already had too much cake* ;;
 

Brian Random

I WAS FROZEN TODAY!!
*Sigh* The emotion and realism you brought out of this one-shot got me feeling sorry for that Ashy boy. I can tell that some people may be on a verge of tears after reading this, but me I’m a tearless (CENSORED!) on this occasion. For that, I feel ashamed.

PS: B Day, people say? Check PM
 

Ejunknown

be creative
That was beautiful. I guess it was Ash speaking? I haven't watched the anime properly in years. But it was touching. A couple of words I spotted that maybe could do with being past tense instead of present, but that is just my opinion. Incredible. <3

And happy late birthday!
 

Lily

you were the one.
Brian...I don't get that video at all... Thanks, anyway? XDD

And thank you, Ejunknown. I just noticed myself the painfully obvious mistakes regarding tenses...I was rushing in order to finish writing this. I wanted to post it on my birthday, and even then I was a bit late. ><
 

Quackerdrill

say yes to love
I can't believe, no, I cannot fathom how beautiful that was. I am simply blown away by your power over simplicity. While other authors live for drawn out description and grand plots you focus on tugging on the heartstrings. The length was perfect and was essential to the emotional drive of the work... as said earlier, any extra length would have spoiled it. Rushed at the end? I think that was the perfect final reveal. It's not like we should expect an epic ending from such writing from the heart.

I believe that 'from the heart' is a good term for this. There really is no other way of saying it. I'm glad you choose to be a different kind of author on these boards. Originality is the key to great writing, after all. Apparently I was so drawn in that I missed the supposed confusion of tenses! XD

Well, I've gone on too long. Great work, and continue being unique. 'Cause we definitely need that around here.

*leaves some birthday cookiemuffinbrownies- no cake! ^_^*
 

Lily

you were the one.
From the heart? XD I was anxious to write, so this just...came out. Glad you think of it that way, though! And thank you!

*cookiemuffinbrownieftw*
 

DarkPersian479

Well-Known Member
Wow, this is powerful stuff here. I never thought Ash could ever be this emotional, but I suppose that comes with age. This really hits home and draws out a variety of emotions.

Very nice. Oh, and happy (very) belated birthday!
 

Arcanine Royale

Well-Known Member
Wow...

Just. wow.

I sort of expected something like that, something revolving around his mom.

But I like the way things have turned out with the piece, and Ash's voice is really strong. The tone is perfect, and the whole thing is good.

Though I'm not sure about the title... Lilies... shouldn't it be "Lily" or "A Lily" or "A Sole Lily" since Ash gives his mom only one? Actually, "Lilies" sounds better, but...
 

Lily

you were the one.
^ A Sole Lily..? Hm..Truth is, I thought of the title before I wrote it. I thought, 'alright, this story had better be about some lily.' I..honestly don't know about that one. XD;

Thanks!
 
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