Dusk had already made its way through the afternoon. The sun was gradually descending on the horizon. The breeze grew colder and, the mists crept in.

Aaradhya wore warmer clothes to go out. She looked around as she came downstairs and sighed. "Papa is still not here. I should write him a note... about the tarts... and that I'll be late. He probably won't care, but...." She shook her head, grabbed a sticky note, wrote the note and stuck it on the refrigerator.

She locked the door and left.

The people were going back to their houses. A few shops were closing. The bakery closed leaving a trail of oven's fragrance. The baker was a plump and kind man, with a now grey moustache that he said once used to be red, and he wore a white shirt and brown pants. As he left for his home, he asked her, "Aaradhya you will come tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, Paul," the girl said with a smile.

After wishing her a happy birthday and a good night, he left. Aaradhya watched her boss fondly as he walked away, greeting everyone with a big smile on his face. He was the home she never had.

On the way, she stopped at the abandoned greenhouse. It used to be her mother's. She looked at it. Once, it used to have all sorts of flowers. From orchids to dahlias. One could only see different colors along with green through the glass. The air inside used to be warm. Not suffocating.

Lovers, sons, daughters, husbands, and friends used to come there every day to get flowers for their loved ones. Her mother was on good terms with all of them, smiling and greeting them. Smelling sweet like gardenias. Always. Aaradhya never understood how her mother always smelled so good, but she loved it. Whenever her mother would take her in her arms, she would always inhale deeply so that she could keep her mother's smell.

After that, whenever she went back to her father, he would always tell her that she smelled like her mother. Remembering all this, she chuckled bitterly.

Right then, as Aaradhya stood in front of the greenhouse, it lay abandoned. The glasses were covered in dirt, a few were broken. Now, instead of flowers, there were wild, thorny bushes all across it. Poisonous shrubs grew there. Insects flew here and there. Instead of warmth, there was cold. Bitter, crisp, cold. And she no longer smelled like her mother.

A cold breeze blew, blowing her hair. Making her shiver slightly. "Would things be different if you were here?" She thought loudly, looking at the greenhouse.

Aaradhya stood in front of the Forbidden Botanical Garden. Though it was forbidden once, it was now open to all.

"Mumma, you would feel joy if you found out that your favourite place is no longer forbidden," she said, looking up at the gates. With a sigh, she went ahead inside the garden.

The garden was huge. There were Christmas rose, violas, and pansies adorning the garden making it look beautiful. Though spring was almost there, the air still held the crisp coldness of winter.

Other trees remained bare after the fall. Her throat dried as she touched the pansies. She swallowed. "I am sorry..." she whispered to herself. Her lips trembled, though it was not due to the cold.

Aaradhya patted her chest with her hand as she swallowed again. She took a deep breath. Then, she fanned her face with her other hand looking up, stopping the tears.

"It's ok... I am ok.... I am fine. She is fine wherever she is...." She reassured herself taking deep breaths. Not letting a single tear fall.

The air seemed to get thicker. She felt choked in those open surroundings. She blinked a few times looking around. She felt the few flowers that were there, withering. A few were still there.

"Now, even these flowers have left my side," Aaradhya complained. Her voice cracking. "Mumma, you took even the flowers with you."

A sob escaped her. She knew no one was there and no one would judge her. She could be weak in this garden. Like every year.

Aaradhya fell on her knees. Tears falling down her cheeks. She sobbed like a child. She turned an adult today, yet she didn't feel like one. Because she had never seen her father cry, not even when her mother died. She covered her face with her hands. Her lips dried. Her shoulders felt heavy and they fell.

After calming down a little, she wiped away her tears. Her nose and cheeks had turned red. Her eyes had grown puffy. She took a few deep breaths.

Aaradhya got up and dusted off her clothes. She decided to go to the lake in the middle of the garden. She walked till there while hugging herself and looking around in the garden.

When she reached the lake, she felt the air warmer there. She inhaled deeply, the humid air filling her lungs. Her eyes closed as the warm breeze hit her, flowing her chestnut hair. She opened her eyes softly, feeling better.

Aaradhya sat down by the lake. Her hand playing in the water. The water was cool, calm, and deep. Her shoulders relaxed as she let her hand stay there.

Her gaze moved up. Her brows furrowed. Her favourite gazebo stood gracefully over the quiet lake, supported by slender stone columns arranged in a perfect circle. A soft grey domed roof crowned the structure. The lake below, mirrored the gazebo. The dusk gave it a perfect dreamlike, even romantic appearance.

What surprised Aaradhya was that there was a slight, otherworldly glow in the gazebo. "What's there?" She asked herself. She stood up, wiping her hand with her overcoat, and went towards the gazebo.

Walking on the stone pathway, Aaradhya felt the air around her getting warmer, dizzier as she went near the gazebo. When she finally reached the threshold, she found that the gazebo had a small herb in the middle.

"Who planted this here? This wasn't here last time," Aaradhya mused.

When she looked properly, she found that the glow was coming from behind the herb. She went around the herb to see what it was. It was the first blooming pink evening primrose.