Flowers of the Riverbed

Little boys like Sasuke liked picking flowers for their mother. Now he’d never let anyone know it – especially not anyone at school – but every day on his way back from the academy he’d pick them. In the early spring, he would test how much his jumping skills had improved by grabbing handfuls of cherry blossoms that only ended up a little smushed. Toward mid-spring, at the edges of the river bed there’d be bright fuschia satsuki azalea. He always picked the brightest flowers for his home, so he’d make a bouquet with them: marigolds, grape hyacinths, red clover and buttercups. Mother named them each for him when he brought them home and placed them in a large crystal vase at the center of the table – his garish bouquet. She’d tell him the meanings of each and every one of them after dinner. She liked the marigolds most of all.Little boys like Sasuke like picking flowers for their mothers. Little boys like Sasuke don’t like getting caught.