Creative Writing: Portulaca

Ever since she was little, Natsuko loved her grandparents' garden, which was always full of flowers.
The garden was large, and she enjoyed watering the plants with a watering can and sowing seeds alongside her grandparents, naturally learning the names of the flowers as she did so.

Her grandparents' house is about a two-hour drive from the apartment where Natsuko lives. Once she reached middle school, she had fewer opportunities to visit them often, so she looked forward to summer vacation when she could stay for a long time.

It was the summer vacation of her second year of middle school. After dinner, the conversation turned to Natsuko's future education.

Nacchan, what do you want to do in the future?
Have you decided on a high school you want to go to yet?

I love flowers, so I want to study them in more detail.

I see... Are you going to study that after you go to university, or...
maybe go to a high school with a horticulture department?
There is a horticultural high school nearby that even wins national competitions.
Do you know about it?

No, I don't.
Is there a place in high school where you can study flowers?

Yes. It's called Suberi High School, and it's quite popular with students from all over the country who want to get in.

Oh, I see.
Maybe I'll go take a look tomorrow...

The next day, Natsuko and her grandmother went to visit Suberi High School. It was about a 20-minute walk. There was a gentle slope from the road up to the school gate, and the slopes on both sides of the road were covered in colorful flowers.

Oh, it's Portulaca! Wow!
They're blooming everywhere!

Natsuko exclaimed in surprise. She had never seen Portulaca blooming so widely on both sides of a path before.

They've been beautiful for a long time.
It seems the horticulture students and the local community plant and maintain them every year.

As they climbed the slope and reached the school gate, it was engraved with Suberihiyu High School.

Grandma, how do you read that?

Suberihiyu. That's why it's Portulaca, I suppose.

So that's it... That's wonderful.
Maybe I'll come here...

《End》

Portulaca (Japanese name: Hanasuberihiyu) is an annual plant that blooms with cute flowers in the summer. The header image was used from this site.

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