The Flower in the Garden

That autumn, the leaves on the trees were especially golden. They drifted down on the wind, crunching beneath the feet of passersby. The breeze was gentle, and the people’s laughter seemed happier than in any year before.

A torrential downpour forced the old campus to suspend classes for a day. The selection of outstanding teachers stirred up a heated debate, while a secret about the cafeteria quietly spread. While taking photos, a boy stumbled upon the mystery of a little girl’s disappearance. Some people struggled to make ends meet, others argued over art school entrance exams, someone kept vigil over a grandmother in the hospital, and someone worried about an old house. One teenager, living under someone else’s roof, fled back to the mountains for the summer. In the end, the youth of the three boys still led them to different crossroads.