"Mama, what are those?" The little girl asked, tugging away at her thick French braids as they walked along the pond laced with pink and white round flowers. She was amazed that the flowers never sank beneath the calm waters, admiring them as they all floated together in unison.
"Yes, baby, those are called water lilies. Aren't they beautiful?" The little girl nodded in agreement. She then jumped slightly when she noticed the small frog that emerged from the water to rest on one of the many lily pads, causing a ripple in the water that stretched across the entire pond. The little girl readjusted her dress with one arm while her other firmly held onto her mother's forearm.
"I've never seen these before. Do you have these in your shop?" She asked, trying to remember if her mother ever planted flowers as beautiful as the ones in front of her.
"No, I don't," The woman inhaled deeply, "That's why I like to bring you here."
"Why don't they ever sink, Mama?"
"Because they refuse to let their beauty go unknown." The little girl was in awe at her mother's answer and then began to pout.
"I wish I was as beautiful as these lilies." Their walking came to a stop so the woman could turn to the little girl. She took her finger and lifted the little girl's chin high so they could meet face to face.
"Don't ever for a second think that you're not," The woman replies, stroking her finger against the little girl's chin, "Do you know why I named you 'Lavender'?" The little girl shook her head.
"No, Mama. Why?"
"The sweet aroma of Lavender is calm and lingers, never leaving you." The woman says with a limitless gaze into the little girl's eyes.
The little girl then closed her eyes and brushed her soft warm cheeks against her mother's forearms tightly.
"I don't ever want to leave."
"Neither do I, baby... Neither do I."
