The Most Beautiful Day

This story is by Jo Ollila and was part of our 2024 Spring Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.

Lost in her usual tangled web of thoughts, Iris wondered why things always had to change. Why would I have to leave just because that is what is always done? She asked herself. The sun was peeking out above its blanket of fog, and she instinctively turned toward it. It cast a warm glow upon her face that she could feel trickling through her whole being. She noticed the diamond-like sparkles of dew that sat atop each blade of grass in the vast expanse of her yard, and, like a reflex, the corners of her mouth perked up into a little smile. She had a naturally happy demeanor, and it only took the slightest wink from the sun to set her straight. She closed her eyes and breathed in the world around her. She was content in this moment and wished it would never have to change.

As the wheels of the morning began to spin and the world stretched out its collective arms, it was time to welcome another day. Iris loved this part of the day’s routine. She took in the sounds around her: the voices of Mrs. Darby hastening her kids out the door, the revving of Ronaldo’s prized 1965 Ford Mustang, which he kept in pristine condition, and the chitter-chatter of the Blue Jays, who always bathed themselves in Sam Henderson’s upturned hubcap, which sat at the edge of his garage. The smells swirled around her: freshly brewed coffee interlaced with the wet earth from last night’s drizzle. Then, a waft of something buttery and rich in need of maple syrup, she thought. Her senses were tingling. Summer mornings were her favorite.

She knew the warm summer days would soon fade as Fall breathed its cooler air through the streets of her beloved neighborhood. Routines would change, friends would scatter, and it would be her time to leave for new adventures. This made Iris fret, but just for a moment. She caught sight of her friends hurrying toward her, which caused her eyes to crinkle as a smile spread across her face.

“Iris!” Sonya called. “Isn’t it the most beautiful day?”

“As beautiful as yesterday,” Iris called back.

To which Simon quipped, “Every day is beautiful with you two.”

They all chuckled. This had become their usual morning exchange and was warmly familiar to Iris, like a long-awaited hug. After the pleasantries of the morning were swapped, Iris fell silent, which was quite unusual for her. Of the three, she was the resident chatterbox on any given day. But today, Iris’s mind was heavy with thoughts of the days to come, the changing seasons and the loss of familiar routines. She wanted to know if they, too, fretted about these things.

She looked over at her friends whom she had met last Spring and since had formed the most delightful friendship. They were each sampling a beautiful late summer fig they had brought with them, seemingly unburdened by the same thoughts that occupied Iris’s mind. What if they don’t understand? Iris worried. What if they see me differently, get upset, and no longer wish to spend time with me? I would be lost without our friendship. I depend on it. She contemplated whether to break into her standard musings about the neighborhood gossip and forget about this nonsense or share her worries with Sonya and Simon.

Before she could decide, she looked up and realized they were both staring at her, their faces concerned and slightly quizzical. She had no choice but to unhinge her jaw and let her questions spill out.

“Do you wish things could always stay the same?” Iris asked her friends as she wrung her hands in worry.

“Why do you think they will change?” Simon asked, still nibbling on his fig.

“I just mean…well, I guess I am worried about time passing. I worry that with Fall approaching, routines will change. I am worried about what that will do to our friendship. I’m worried that you will move on too, that you will leave me,” Iris sputtered, now worried that she sounded as crazy to her friends as she sounded to herself.

She was met with blinking eyes – and silence. Sonya opened her mouth a few times to say something but closed it without a word. Her friends were unsure what to make of all these worries from their usually buoyantly happy friend. She wanted to gobble up all the words that had spilled out of her and return to her daily gossip, which always entertained them. But then, Iris could see Simon’s eyes soften. She could see that he was beginning to understand the true meaning of her questions.

“Iris, the passing of time doesn’t diminish our friendship. What we have today is what we will always have. Our imprint in one another’s hearts outlasts the seasons.” With that, Simon cupped her face in his soft hands and kissed her on each cheek. She exhaled. Perhaps she was wrong to worry about these big thoughts. “okay,” Iris said, with a smile back on her face, “did I tell you what I overheard Mrs. Darby tell Sam yesterday afternoon?”. They huddled around, and the gossip session began.

Fall did arrive, and as anticipated, routines changed. Simon and Sonya had to work overtime most days and didn’t have as much free time to sit and chat with Iris. One day, as the sun rose lower than usual in the sky, Iris saw her two best friends approaching. She usually would have perked up with an all-consuming feeling of joy, but today was different. Her friends seemed solemn. There was a contagion to the feeling as it spread to her as well.

“Iris,” Simon started. “We had hoped to stay through the winter, but that just isn’t possible.” Sonya went on to explain that they would be going away for a while but hoped to return in a few months. She wanted to respond, to tell them she had told them so, but she was just so tired these days, especially since the sun wasn’t there to warm her face. Now, she also had a broken heart.

Iris wasn’t new to loss. In the past month, many of her acquaintances had left. She just didn’t think Simon and Sonya would leave her as well. She had a decision to make. She knew she, too, was supposed to leave when Fall arrived, but she also wanted to see Simon and Sonya again when they returned. It was expected that she would leave, as that was always what was done. But as she looked at her friends, she knew she never wanted to lose the love she felt when she was with them. It radiated warmth from her top to her bottom. She made up her mind. She would stay.

“I’ll miss you both so much, but I’ll be here when you get back. Just think how much gossip I will have to share with you in the Spring!” she said with a brave smile. And with that, Sonya and Simon planted kisses upon her cheeks and headed off, leaving Iris alone.

As the weeks passed, it got quite cold—colder than she had ever experienced. As Winter’s icy presence made itself known, she wondered if she had made the right choice. I was supposed to leave—that is how it is always done. But I promised my friends I would wait for the sun to shine again and, with it, the most beautiful day to return.

She repeated this to herself again and again. But as the weeks and months passed, her shoulders began to slump, and her will began to fade, along with the pallor of her once vibrant cheeks.

Eventually, the ground thawed, the buds of new flowers triumphantly pushed their heads through the soil, the sun spread its warm rays across the vast expanse of yard, and Sonya and Simon indeed returned. The two hedgehogs were giddy with excitement to see their best friend again. As they approached the plot of land where they had once enjoyed warm and sunny summer days with their beautiful friend Iris, they slowed their pace.

Iris was gone. What remained was the withered remains of her stem and three brown, papery-thin, shriveled petals that had once surrounded her joyful face. Now, their hearts were broken.

She thought she could stay and wait for them, but little did she know, it was not her decision after all. The circle of life would continue spinning without fail, without remorse, and without exception.

Simon and Sonya continued coming to that spot every day that summer and as they arrived, they always said to one another, “Isn’t it the most beautiful day, Sonya?”

“As beautiful as yesterday, Simon.”

“But just not as beautiful without Iris,” Simon remarked.