The Garden | Teen Ink

The Garden

October 25, 2021
By rjin GOLD, Cupertino, California
rjin GOLD, Cupertino, California
11 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
원숭이도 나무에서 떨어진다
(even monkey's fall from trees)


The house was empty, only filled with cold, numbing air and overgrown vines on the rough red tiles. The door knob squeaked and a girl had walked into the house, the house that she never wanted to visit again. She turned on the flickering lights, breathed out as the air of her breath filled the room and disappeared. She walked to the backyard door, and observed it for a few seconds, noticing its sturdy brown structure engraved with decorative outlines. Taking a deep breath, she opened it.


It was so quiet you could hear rain drops from the roof gutters. Dead flowers and empty pots were scattered everywhere. What used to be a beautiful place, tended to with love and care and what used to be blooming flowers and trees, now appeared like a graveyard. Overwhelmed by a feeling she was unfamiliar with, Nostalgia rushed into her, whether she liked it or not, she remembered their past. The girl plummeted to the cold sharp grass, tears filling and falling out until there were no tears left. 


Then the girl looked up, and saw something she had forgotten a long time ago. She noticed a tree, ingrained into it were the names, “Rachael” and “할아버지.” The tree was old and decaying , but the words were still there, they were indelible. Then the girl realized that this garden and all its thoughts and memories that she shared with her grandpa, would always be there. The time the girl and her grandpa ran across the grass, the time they sat under the tree and had watermelon together, those feelings would never go away. Then the girl stood up and walked to the tree, she sat next to it and whispered, 


I love you 할아버지.


The author's comments:

Recently my grandpa passed away.This passage is about me finally accepting and letting go. Before he passed away he owned a garden, it was his pride and joy. I wrote about the garden because it was one of the last things that my grandpa left me, and I was scared that it was going to be abandoned, that he would be gone. Hence me writing about how the girl see’s the garden destroyed but learns in the end that it's ok if it's abandoned, because he is still here. The passage is based on the five stages of grief and I tried to play around with imagery which is using descriptive language. My favorite part in the story is the ending, and  할아버지 means grandpa in Korean. 


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This article has 2 comments.


rjin GOLD said...
on Nov. 11 2021 at 4:08 pm
rjin GOLD, Cupertino, California
11 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
원숭이도 나무에서 떨어진다
(even monkey's fall from trees)

@Bumble_Bee thank you so much!

on Nov. 4 2021 at 3:14 pm
Bumble_Bee PLATINUM, New Athens, Illinois
38 articles 2 photos 123 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You will be found" -Dear Evan Hansen

Oh my gosh, this is lovely. You are a great writer! I'm so sorry about your grandfather's passing, but I'm glad you're learning to accept it. Keep writing!