Ottilie & The Lily

Glasshouse Nocturnes Part III

For a century, the great lily had stood in a quiet corner of the glasshouse without ever producing a single flower. Around it, the palms towered, the orchids bloomed extravagantly and the elephants' ears flourished. Yet the lily remained stubbornly unchanged. Until one evening.

Ottilie passed beneath its glossy leaves, her copper curls bouncing as she walked. She had barely taken a dozen steps when the lily stirred.

Slowly a magnificent flower began to unfurl, it's great blushing petal almost glowing in the moonlight.

Behind her, a hundred years of waiting gave way to a single breathtaking bloom.

But Ottilie heard nothing, so never looked back.