An Evening Primrose

An Evening Primrose truly the strongest flower to grow. It grows in complete darkness and isolation. Yet it is still so beautiful and rare strong but somehow soft. I guess you could say that is why her mother named her Primerose. It was an odd name choice but perfectly suited for the little girl who lived in darkness. See she was born at the start of the worst pandemic in history. It was declared so the day she was born 11 years ago. Her mother remembers that day like it was yesterday. She sat in the hospital bed alone, scared, and in pain. She watched in horror as the Cdc made the announcement that the vaccine was ineffective and urged people to isolate. They feared the worst had yet to come. She started hyperventilating her mask felt suffocating . She remembers grabbing the remote frantically turning off the tv. She sat motionless and terrified at the idea of raising a baby in a world where a hug is fatal and a kiss deadly. The women felt hopeless that was until she saw her daughter for the first time. She held her and looked down into her stunning brown eyes and felt hope. So she named her Primrose; her flower in the dark. She hoped the little girl like her name grew to be beautiful and strong even in the darkness. And the little girl did just that; even if by the time she was five she lived in an isolation bunker. Primrose loved dancing around the bunker her smile was so bright they never needed light. Her favorite activity was sitting with her mother and listening to stories from before the isolation. Her mother told her stories of, parks, concerts and crowed restaurants. Her mother told her all about her name and the flower. Her favorite story was the story of the sun, though she never got the chance to see sunshine she loved it. She thought it reminded her of her mother warm and bright. So everyday she would spin and twirl around her bunker and imagine she was in the sun. Her mother would sit and watch and smile a sad smile.Primrose was the embodiment of her name ,being around Primrose brought nothing but joy to her mother. Primrose's mother made everyday special for her little flower. She and Primrose drew in chalk and colored pencils. Primrose begged everyday for her mom to draw her the same thing the world. So her mother spent hours a day drawing her favorite parts of the world. They talked day and night of different countries and foods.Life in isolation was difficult they didn't have access to a lot of food or resources. Most of the time she only got to see her little eyes over her mask and she only was allowed to hold her for 15 minuets a day to prevent too much contact. Primrose had to be tested daily and monitored at all times. When She wasn't being poked and prodded she would watch tv on small black and white set and her eyes would fill with wonder as she watched people hug kiss and laugh together. She watched as many nature documentaries she could because they made her feel like she was outside. Primrose remembers the first time she saw someone without a mask she was confused at first then excited. This small scene from an old show made her imagine what life will be like after isolation. Her mother admired her daughter's strength as well as her optimism in 11 years never once did she get upset or complain or believe that isolation would be forever. Even if she never interacted with anyone but people on her bunker row , and spent most of her days sanitizing and taking her temperature; she did so with a smile. Besides her mother Primerose could only see other people on her bunker row once a week. Everyone said the same thing that she was captivating. Not for her beauty but for her optimism; children and adults alike stood in awe. They watched her grow and blossom dancing down the bunker row waving at everyone she saw. It was amazing perhaps the most amazing thing was that even behind a mask you could still see her smile. Primerose noticed the stares but it never fazed her she was to busy imagining the sun. Onlookers found it ironic her name meant to thrive through the dark yet she spoke only of light. People where baffled by the beautiful little girl. As each year passed they wondered would she tire of being happy. She never did instead she grew and flourished just like her mother hoped. With her grew the spirits of the people around . As the 15th year of quarantine approached as well and Primrose's birthday the Cdc announced that there was a vaccine that they feel would be effective. Primrose and her mother celebrated by twirling and spinning in their bunker laughing and jumping. For the first time in her life she would finally see sunlight. As the year passed the vaccine was proved effective and the reintroduction process began. Primrose and her mother spent their days packing up 16 years of darkness. 16 years of dystopian memories and all Primrose knew into small brown boxes. As they packed their last box Primrose noticed at the darkest corner in the back of the bunker there was a small flower. She walked over and observed it with her mother.Her mother knelt down and plucked it out of the ground and stuck it in Primrose's hair. She hugged her daughter properly for the first time ever and gushed with pride. Her daughter was born in such an awful time. While everyone else cried and cowered her girl never stopped growing and smiling. Her Primrose had every reason to give up but she never did she kept her strength and only grew more and more stunning every day. She smiled and grabbed her daughter's hand and walked out of the bunker . She and Primrose stepped outside and Primrose held her hands out to the sun and spun around, all those years she spent dreaming of the sun didn't compare to the real thing. Primrose continued to be her most wonderful and strong self. As more time passed she wore the flower her mother gave to her in her hair everyday. And like the flower she was strong, beautiful, and possessed a rare ability to grow even in the darkness for the rest of her life.