Steps to Madness

Life

All was quiet in the forest. Lilian sat in the tree tops and watched the clouds go by. She had never known what it felt like, in the forest without the fear that you would be found by someone. Or something, like last night. She looked down at her hands.
"How come the gardeners so strong, but I can barely hurt a butterfly?" She said sorrowfully. Gabriel landed on the branch next to her.
"Oh Lilian, you're strong! Never doubt that."
She shook her head. "Maybe, but I'm cowardly. She doesn't bat an eye when her friends and family are in trouble. I couldn't do the same... even if I tried."
Gabriel studied her face. "Here, give me your hand."
Lilian did as she was asked immediately.
"Now, make a daisy."
She paused, confused, but slowly a tiny daisy grew from her hand.
"There you go! See, that wasn't hard was it?"
She shook her head. "I don't get it." She said, looking up at Gabriel. "What does this mean Pops?"
Gabriel smiled and chuckled. "You're stronger than you think Lilian. Just give it time."
Lilian nodded, of course, she didn't understand, but just as Gabriel said, it must take time.

It was the middle of the night. The moon shone brightly through the trees. Lilian watched it from her perch up high. Gabriel was sleeping soundly next to her. She listened as a wolf howled in the distance. What a beautiful night it was... She looked down. If only there were flowers. She loved flowers, they seemed so peaceful, so calm. At the house she used to have view of a garden in the back yard. (She was never aloud to go see it, she could never go outside.) Every week, they would mow the entire garden, to everything but the roots. Lilian always hated them for it. The flowers were always so diverse. Of course, the flowers always grew back two days later anyway. That was just the way it went.
Well, the more Lilian thought about the flowers and how wonderful they must have smelled, the more it seemed as if she could actually smell them. Eventually she felt something tickle her nose. As she opened her eyes she saw what had become of all her imagining.

It was beautiful.