You have been taken by the Mists

Author Topic: The Dahlia Book  (Read 1107 times)

TheGrinningHound

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The Dahlia Book
« on: April 10, 2016, 03:26:54 AM »

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Walter


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TheGrinningHound

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Re: The Dahlia Book
« Reply #1 on: April 10, 2016, 03:33:24 AM »



Walter?
Yes?
Umm... What does a Poppy mean?



For years, Walter collected a graveyard of flora from his travels, each pressed and pinned within the pages of a repurposed treatise on the spirit of Qi. It was as much a passion as a state of mind-- muddled within the margins. Life in duality. He traced his fingers over the edge of the flattened red petals with a similar reverence as he had that evening. Only now, he was alone.


Well, in the general sense, Oblivion.
... Oblivion? Oh, uhh.. Well.-- She was sheepish, surprised perhaps and disappointed. It was her namesake, he knew, and there was no small part of her that had hoped for something akin to eternal love, or an uncompromising beauty. But he tried to recover.
It's not like that, you know. It's not something to be afraid of, or avoided even.
I'm pretty sure I'll be avoiding it for as long as I can! She quipped, defiant as she was. Walter admired her in this way. With a shake of his head, he swiveled the book in his lap and flipped through its pages, searching with practice until he arrived at a red petal.
Here, let me show you. He offered her the book, allowing her to explore it, hoping that its curiosity was contagious in the same way that it had grasped him-- and he wasn't disappointed. Each of the poppies have their own meaning, you see. He continued. The Red is a symbol of satisfaction. Pleasure, intimacy.
Ooh. I didn't know there was anything other than red. What do the others mean?


His touch hesitated now, as he looked at the page in solemn memory. As doubt creeped among him, he couldn't help but wonder if he had simply denied her request that day. If he had sealed his book and walked away, would fate have conspired so? What drew him to her in the first place? He knew better than to seek a wife, to seek a child. Walter knew well what he was-- and to deny himself would be to invite sickness to the soul. But perhaps, he mused regardless, if in another life he had a child of his own, she would smile in the way she once did.

There's yellow-- Here, you see? He returned the book to the diminutive halfling girl, speaking while she scrutinized its make for her own meaning. Though her nose was buried, she was attentive.
The yellow poppy is a symbol of wealth. Not just in riches, but rather, abundance. Success, in some ways.
She hummed in consideration, and Walter turned another series of pages.
And here, the white. Representative of peace. Walter accepted the book again, shifting his weight beneath him and adjusting his spectacles. Satisfaction, Wealth, Peace. You see, the Poppy is a reminder of the sweetness of life that comes only from its brevity. It begins, it becomes beautiful, and it ends.
« Last Edit: April 10, 2016, 03:43:57 AM by TheGrinningHound »