The first part of Pixies In The Garden can be found here: Nora Makes A New Friend

The next day has come and Nora ran to the garden to meet her new friend, Xenon. She was excited to meet him again, but unfortunately her mother told her that guests were coming today and she wasn't allowed to stay out for long. She went to the tree trunk she first saw Xenon and called for him,

- Xenon! Xenon, are you here?

- Oh! Good morning, Nora!

- Hey! I just came to tell you that I won't be able to stay long here today. We're having guests, she said with a voice filled in disappointment and her face looking grumpy.

- That's ok, but why do you look like that?

- My silly cousin is coming here to play. I don't like her Xenon! She always talks about how beautiful she is, what pretty hair she has and how her mum is going to buy her the latest fashion clothes the next time she takes her shopping. You know, once our mothers took us to the funfair and we almost lost her because she was left behind in the magic mirror caravan.

- Oh! your cousin reminds me of Narcisus. Have you ever heard his story?

- No, will you tell me?

- Of course, dear! Narcisus was a very handsome man that lived in ancient Greece. Everyone admired him for his looks. He was so good-looking that even he could not stop staring at himself. Very often, he visited a lake just to gaze on his reflection on the waters. And one day, almost hypnotized by his beauty, he leaned too much and fell in the lake where he drowned. A few days later, a beautiful, yellow flower grew at the place where he lost his life. The flower was not only beautiful, but also smelled beautiful. They named it after him.

- This is sad... little Nora said. I mean, I know my cousin is obnoxious, but I wouldn't mean for anything bad to happen to her. After all, no matter how good or bad we are, we all have a right to live, don't we, Xenon?

- Yes, sweet Nora. We all have the right to live. It's just that sometimes, bad people need to learn their lesson, even if it is the hard way. That's how they become examples for others to avoid.

- But isn't this terrorizing? Like my grandma sometimes says: You must be good at school and go to university, otherwise ou'll end up a cleaning lady like Mrs Morrison who never finished primary school.

- It depends on how others present the story. I'm sure, that if your grandma bothered to ask Mrs Morrison why she had to leave school and end up cleaning other people's houses, then she'd have a pretty good reason to say.

- All I know is that her family is very poor and she still lives in the same old, little cottage in the suburbs.

- I guess, my dear, you already have your answer. What I'm trying to say is that, you should always try to find the reason why some things are the way they are and never believe to the version one has to say, until you listen to various points of view.

- What do you mean?

- Come here, lean close and tell me what you see.

- A lilly?

- Now take a step back and tell me again what you see.

- All the lillies on this plant?

- Exactly! This plant has lots of flowers coming out, right?

- Right, but what do flowers have to do with the truth?

- When you are too close, you only see the fact. If you take a step back and look at the bigger picture, you'll find that the truth is far more complex. And if you take a few steps to the left or to the right, you'll find out even more. Then, the images you have collected will fill the puzzle of the truth and you will be able to understand why the fact is the way it is. Did you get it?

- I see! So you're telling me that, just like with Mrs Morrison, the fact is she is a cleaning lady who dropped school and remains poor after all these years. But the truth is that she had to leave school to help her family who was poor and never managed to get a better job, because she couldn't finish school and get more qualifications and almost got herself trapped. Right? This is so sad. I feel I should I visit her soon and tell her that no matter what people think of her, to me she is a hero.

- This is so nice of you to say, Nora! I knew your heart and soul were pure and I am happy that our little talks helps you realise it and get the goodness out of you.

Nora had now a big smile oen her face. She enjoyed talking to Xenon. After their conversation and the things she learnt about Narcisus and how to try justify the facts, she didn't feel so unwilling to meet her cousin. In fact, she was curious to start "investigating" on her past and see why this girl turned out to be the way she is today.

- Noraaaa! It was Nick calling her. Come on in! Aunt Carla is here already!

- Ok, Nick! I'm coming! And turning to Xenon she said in a soft voice, I'm going to see my aunt and cousin, Xenon. Thank you for teaching me all that today. It feels so nice being friends with you!

And just like that, Nora gave Xenon a sweet kiss on the cheek and left.

To be continued...

*All photos, non-edited, from my very first experimentations with my Nikon D3400
Original story by @ruth-girl - Steemit, 2018

Thank you so much for your time!

Until my next post,
Steem on and keep smiling, people!

smurfette