Every morning, Rosalie carries her blue watering can to the garden. She pours water over the bare soil and waits. Nothing grows. Day after day, she comes back with her can.
Rosalie fills her blue watering can from the tap and walks to the garden. She tips it gently over the dirt. The water soaks in. She watches. Still nothing.
She sets the can down and pats the soil flat with her small hands. A ladybug crawls along the rim and hops away. Rosalie checks the ground again. Nothing at all.
Rosalie waters the patch one more time. Then she presses her ear close to the earth. She hears a tiny rustling sound — something is down there.
She leans closer, curious. A small green bud has pushed through the dirt. Rosalie holds very still, breathing slow and soft.
A bright yellow butterfly lands on the bud. It flutters its wings once, twice — and the bud opens a little wider. Rosalie does not move.
The bud opens wider. Golden petals unfold like a tiny star. The butterfly lifts into the air and circles once around Rosalie's head.
Rosalie reaches out and touches the soft yellow petals. 'Hello,' she whispers. She giggles and spins around, her blue watering can swinging at her side.
The garden feels different now. Rosalie looks at the flower, then at the rest of the empty beds. She thinks she knows what to do next.
She picks up the watering can and walks along the row of empty soil. She pours a little water here, then there, and here. Each drop feels like a promise.
By afternoon, the garden looks different. Small green shoots peek from the soil where she watered. Rosalie sits by the fence and watches them. She will keep coming back every day.
Tomorrow morning, Rosalie will carry her blue watering can to the garden again. She knows something wonderful is growing, and she cannot wait to see it.