Flower Power

A close encounter with her possible mother. 300 words

Flower Power

A young woman dressed in a short flowing skirt and vest walked along the sidewalk sipping her tea and enjoying the fall air. You could tell she was still living in a bygone era and enjoying it. As she walked, she looked the band she wore on one wrist.

It was fashioned from seeds with small glass beads interspersed among them. It was a gift from the mother she’d never known.

“I can understand her not being able to keep me,” she told her friends.

But inside, she wondered if her mother ever loved her. The band she now wore on her wrist, had once been a headband on her baby self. The vest used to be a leather absorbent pad that was under her in the basket she was left in. The huge blanket she was wrapped in was now the skirt she wore.

“I wish my mother could see me now. I’m a sixties character actress and extra for retro television and movies. I think she would be so proud!”

She sighed.

“At least, she named me. Flower Starlight. It’s a bit quirky, but I do have a name,” she reminded herself.

She drained her refillable cup and stuck it in the giant carpet bag purse she carried.

“At least I have this bag, that held all my clothes and things when I was left on the steps of the church. My mother did love me, I know!”

She passed an elderly woman sitting on a bench. The woman stared at her as she passed. Just as she reached the end of the bench, Flower heard the woman say:

“Flower? Is that you?”

She stopped in her tracks and backed up.

“Do you know me?”

The woman stared at her blankly.

Flower smiled and left quietly.

300 WORDS DAILY FLASH 9/2/2025