Short story) The Orchid and the Supermoon

<The Orchid and the Supermoon>

 

The supermoon hung low in the sky, bathing everything in silver. It felt almost too bright for this hour, as if the night itself had surrendered to the light. I sat on the bench in my small garden, the soft breeze brushing past my face. The orchid stood proud in the corner, its delicate white petals catching the moonlight, glowing like a quiet beacon.

 

I had always found comfort here, in the stillness. After a long day of meetings, emails, and the endless noise of city life, this little patch of earth was my escape. My phone buzzed on the table next to me, but I ignored it. I didn’t want anything to pull me out of this moment. Not now.

 

That’s when I heard footsteps.

 

I looked up, and there he was—Ben, standing just outside the gate, looking as out of place in my garden as a skyscraper would in a forest. He hadn’t changed much. Short black hair, sharp features, and that same focused expression. He had always looked like someone who belonged in the fast lane, and even now, in jeans and a casual jacket, he carried that energy with him.

 

"Anna," he said, his voice soft, almost tentative.

 

I hadn’t seen him in over a year, not since we parted ways, both knowing that we were walking down different paths. But here he was, under the supermoon, back in the garden we used to sit in together.

 

"Ben," I replied, standing up. "I didn’t expect to see you here."

 

He smiled, that same half-smile I remembered so well. "I wasn’t sure if I should come. I just… I don’t know, I thought we could talk."

 

I gestured for him to sit, though I felt a knot tighten in my chest. Talking wasn’t something we had been good at, not toward the end. We sat in silence for a moment, the moonlight casting long shadows over the garden. The orchid swayed gently in the breeze.

 

"You still have that orchid," Ben said, breaking the silence.

 

I nodded. "It’s been doing well. Growing slowly, but steadily."

 

He leaned forward, studying the plant. "It must be hard, keeping it alive out here. Looks so fragile."

 

I smiled faintly. "It’s not as fragile as it looks. It just… takes time. Patience. It grows at its own pace."

 

Ben leaned back, his gaze moving from the orchid to me. "That’s what I never understood, Anna. You’ve always been so content with things moving slow, with waiting. I feel like I’m always chasing something, trying to keep up."

 

"That’s exactly it," I said quietly. "I don’t want to keep up anymore. I just want to… be. Like the orchid. It doesn’t rush. It just grows. It doesn’t need anything from the world. It just needs a little light, a little rain, and it’s enough."

 

He was quiet for a moment, looking down at his hands. "I’ve missed this," he admitted. "The quiet. The way you can just sit here, without needing anything to happen."

 

I could feel the weight of his words, the unspoken feelings lingering between us. We had always been different, drawn together by something intangible but pulled apart by the realities of our lives. Ben thrived in the city, in the rush of deadlines and achievements. I had always found peace in the quiet moments, in the spaces where nothing needed to be done, where life could just… unfold.

 

"How’s work?" I asked, more to fill the silence than out of curiosity.

 

"Busy," he said with a shrug. "You know how it is. Non-stop. But it’s good. I’ve been doing well. I got promoted last month."

 

I smiled politely, though the words felt hollow in the quiet of the garden. A promotion was exactly what Ben had always wanted, and yet, here he was, sitting in my little sanctuary, under the supermoon, searching for something more.

 

We sat like that for a while, the breeze picking up, the orchid swaying in rhythm with the wind. It was strange, seeing Ben here after so long, knowing that we were still the same people, yet so different. He belonged to the city, to the rush, and I belonged to the quiet, to the slow and steady growth of life in this garden.

 

"I should probably go," Ben said eventually, standing up and slipping his hands into his pockets. "It’s late, and I’ve got an early meeting tomorrow."

 

I nodded, standing as well. "Thanks for stopping by."

 

He hesitated, looking at me for a long moment. "I miss you sometimes, Anna," he said, his voice soft.

 

I swallowed, the knot in my chest tightening again. "I miss you too," I admitted, the truth hanging heavy in the air between us. "But I think… we’re just in different places now."

 

Ben looked down at the ground, nodding slowly. "Yeah. I think you’re right."

 

We walked to the gate together, and as he left, I stood there for a while, watching him disappear down the street. The rain started soon after, soft at first, the droplets falling gently on the orchid’s petals. I walked back to the bench and sat down, letting the cool mist settle over me, my skin damp with the rain and the night air.

 

The orchid swayed gently in the rain, its petals glistening under the light of the supermoon. It stood tall, enduring the wind and the rain with quiet grace. I watched it for a long time, feeling the weight of the night and the conversation settle into my bones. Ben was gone, but the orchid remained, steady and strong.

 

I picked up my book, though I had no intention of reading. I just needed something to hold onto. I watched the orchid, its leaves dripping with rain, and felt a strange sense of peace wash over me. Ben and I had always been like the moon—waxing and waning, sometimes full and bright, other times distant and shadowed.

 

But like the orchid, I had found my roots here, in this quiet place. And for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel divided. I didn’t feel the need to rush, or chase, or keep up. The orchid and I would grow, at our own pace, and that would be enough.

 

The rain fell harder now, but I stayed. The supermoon still hung high in the sky, watching over me, casting its light across the garden, and I knew, deep down, that I was exactly where I was meant to be.

 

---

Whispers in the Night Garden

 

#ref.:

https://sosohantry.tistory.com/entry/Poem-%EC%9D%B4%EB%B3%91%EA%B8%B0-%EB%82%9C%EC%B4%88

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