Flowers in the rain.

Part one

"And this is your own room!” said the nurse happily. She sounded as if she had won a million dollars or something. I was astounded. how could my siblings have found such a dull home for our mother. It was nothing special with that room. I could not see why she should sound so happy. I just stood there, staring at her.
What a damn boring nurse, thought I. My poor mother, so very small and fragile, just stood there, looking comfused. I did not know what to say. I wanted to to encourage her. Of course I wanted a nice and cosy place for my mum to live in. I decidet to buy her some nice presents this evening, just to cheer her up a little. I did not know how she was able to settle down in this house. It was a home for older people. Most people here seemed so tired and confused. I thought it felt terribly boring. It smelt of coffee, soup and urine. Yuck, I thought sadly.
”I can assure you, this is for sure a nice place!” she went on. "Everybody likes it very much here." I was just getting bored. I hope I did not have to live in such a place when I was old. It was just a little, dark dull room. There where a small table and two chairs in the room and a small bookshelf. It was a way too tiny and dark room for my dear mother. We have to fint another place I thought sadly.

The next evening I visited my dear aunt. It is axtually my mother.s aunt but I call her my aunt Melissa. I used to do that at least once a week.
she seemed so happy when I entered her room. She sat in her usual chair in the living room.
"Tell me some exciting story from your life." I begged her.
”We always had a very cosy time at Christmas time. It was so fun. I had four little brothers.” she told me. I sat there silently and listened to her. It was so exciting.
”We had loads of candy and presents.” she went on. She seemed more happy today.
After a while she said: No, I am just joking. And she chuckled. We did not have much at all. But I was happy. We always got some small things from our poor parents. I still remember one very special Christmas.” Than she paused and sat silent.
"What happened then?" I asked after a little while.
”I think you are very curious." She answered.
"Yeah I am.”
”I had got a big present from my dear aunt Jane from the Us.” she told me. ”I tried to shake the package just to figure out what was inside. I really tried to figure out what was there inside. But it was inpossible to guess.”
Oh really. I thought. I was so damn curious I could die.
”What was it? Tell me please!” I said.
"Can you guess what it was?" she asked.
"No, you have to tell me. Dont tease me this way!" I cried.
”It was a little horse and a doll that were made out of wood." she said.
”Oh, how nice.” I said, astounded. She sounded so happy. I was glad that she seemed so pleased with everything.

On my way back home I found out a nice thing for my mum for the next day. I felt satisfied with myself. I went to the little shop beside my house and bought a big chocolate cake and a box of chocolates for my mother. When I ate the chocolate cake outside, I thought it felt like when I was a little child.
It was raining again. I went to another shop and bought some roses for my mother.

Back at my mothers home again. This place really made me sad. It was something with the atmosphere. Everything seemed so miserable. There where no paintings on the walls, and hardly no nice things for the peploe there to do. And hardly no christmas decorations at all. I decided to prepare something exciting for my mum. Just to make her feel fine. I really hoped that she felt happy in her room. But I was not sure. She did not seem to care very much about it. I wanted it to be a very cosy room.
"Hey mum!" I shoutet. "Today we will do something extraordinary."
She just laughet at me.
"Yes, for sure my dear." she answered jolly.
after a while she asked. "What can that be?"
"You remember that horrible novel The landlady, by Roald Dahl?" I asked. "Now you have to write the end of it. What happens with Billy after the story ends?"
"You are really crazy." my mother said. But she sounded interested. I hoped I had encouraged her a little bit.
"Billy is about to die, I said. "The mad old lady is going to kill him unless he is not stopping her. It will be exciting because he is already poisoned from the tea. He was thinking that the tea tastes of bitter almond. Remember what happened with the dog and the parrot."
"Yes my dear Amanda. I remember that story quite well." she said slowly. She did not seem very pleased with my brilliant idea.

when I came back the next day my mother surprised me. On a paper she had written as follows:
When Billy came back to his room he stood by the window for a while. It was a dark night. A slight rain was falling. Suddenly he opened the window. No, he could not jumt out. It was too dark and it was a three storey house and his room was at the third floor. What should he do?
He felt like crying. But crying would not help him. He went out into the corridor. There he saw the lady. That lady was for sure a lunatic. She was sleeping in her chair. Or at least it looked like as if she was asleep. Billy wanted a axe to kill her with. But he had none. Damn it, he thougtht. After a while he got an idea. He went back to his room. Guess what! Under his bed he found a rusty hammer. He knew exactly what to do.

"Very good mum, splendid! I said happily. I was so proud of my mum. I have always known that she had a lot of imagination. I was so thrilled while I red this story.

The next morning when I visited her she said sadly.
"It says in the newspaper today that my friend Cindy has died."
"Oh, I am sorry to hear that." I answered.
"Perhaps we would take a walk in the big park today." I suggested. I wanted to cheer her up a little. I was in a good mood though.
Suddenly she shouted: "Look! A worm. How disgusting! Take it away!" she yelled.
"What do you mean? I aksed surprised.
"I thought I felt a big snake here. It is so awful!" she murmured, her voice scarcely audible.
"No I dont think so." I said smoothly. I knew that she have had her scary dreams again.
"remember the poem by Emily Dickinson?" I asked her.
"She wrote something like this: the blackbird found a worm, and he ate the fellow raw."
"Of course he ate the fellow raw." Mom said. I was glad that she sounded happier now.
"So crazy." I said."
After a little while mum said: "I will tell you a story now." Have you heard about the restaurant on the moon? It is very cold and has no atmosphere."
"Very bad mum." I said wearily. I felt so tired again.

The next day was Christmas Eve. It was raining again and very high winds. We are going to meet the whole family and we will eat way too much. I was longing for the turkey and all the fudge and such. I wanted most of all to just stay at home by myself and my mum.

When I came to her home that day I almost ran into one of the nurses. She was dead pale-looking.
"She is dead!" she shouted. And then she fainted.
I could not believe it. This must be a nightmaredream, I thought.