Catch a Glimmer of Your Star

Unexpected

"Is this the stop for Clear Skies Conservancy?"

"Yup," the bus driver replied.

"Thank you!"

Basil stepped off the bus. He'd gone far enough from the city that the noise of traffic and the smog in the air felt absent here, though he could still see the city skyline in the distance. A preserve of trees and grassy fields now stood between him and that concrete jungle.

Earlier this morning, Sunny had gone off to see his therapist.

Sunny never felt comfortable being alone with people he doesn't know...

I really hope he's doing fine by himself.

Last night, Sunny's mom told Basil that he could check out the garden near the city. She'd already looked up the bus route and gave him a set of directions to get there. And though Basil had enough spare change to spend on bus tickets, she just wouldn't say no to paying for the trip for him. He essentially received a free round trip to Clear Skies Conservancy.

Basil breathed in deeply the fresh air. It carried a tinge of the wild, reminding him of Faraway a bit, but also quite different. Perhaps the scent came from the new variety of flowers found inside this garden.

He followed the trail from the street up into the wooded hills. A large house stood at the top, welcoming visitors. Pleasant gardens filled with flowers and potted plants surrounded the house. The beautiful array of colors in the garden—tulips, peonies, roses, sunflowers, petunias, and more—reminded Basil of his old house in Faraway, grandma's house. A house now abandoned.

The sign at the entrance informed him he was entering Clear Skies Conservancy, the oldest nature conservation project in the city that had been running for over fifty years. Basil knocked before opening the door.

I wonder what kind of person runs this place?

An anxious ache in his heart gave him feel nervous jitter. He'd always been a little shy visiting other people' homes. He hoped that he would be able to get along with the garden owner.

The only person he saw inside the house was an old woman with short graying black hair, wearing big glasses. She greeted Basil with a friendly smile.

"Hello. How can I help you?"

"Umm, hi," Basil replied shyly. He tried to appear positive. "I'm new to this city, and, umm, I've always loved taking care of plants..."

"It's good to see young people interested in plants," she said. "Would you like me to take you on a tour of this place? I can show you all the plants we have around here."

"Thank you! Yes, please."

Basil felt pleasantly surprised by the elegant flower gardens the old woman maintained all by herself. He learned that her name was Mrs. Li, and she had built this conservancy with her late husband out of a desire to create a nature preserve near the bustling city that anyone could visit to get closer to nature. She had been a gardener all her life and knew how to take care of far more different kinds of flowers than Basil could have imagined.

Grandma would've loved to see this garden...

Mrs. Li informed Basil that teenagers in high school often volunteered at her garden over the summer. They helped water the plants, remove weeds, eliminate invasive species out in the woods around the garden house, and plant new seeds.

"I'd love to volunteer here!" Basil offered. "Are there any positions still available?"

"Around this time, students are going back to school, so we see a drop in volunteers," she said. "I think next week a few positions should open up."