A Gift

The sun descends behind the mountain, changing the light. The breeze adjusts its mood, brings a chill into the canyon. A man in a sport coat opens a metal gate to a bungalow hidden behind a manicured bush. Leaving the gate open, it’s easy to watch him place a single tulip on the brick steps. He knocks three times, though I cannot hear it. Returning to the sidewalk, the metal gate closes slowly, then latches with a click. Sunlight briefly illuminated the tulip as the man stepped away, then it disappeared from my sight. 

No. 111