Nilee is a 13-year-old bright-eyed girl, who loves spending time in the garden in her backyard. She hardly speaks to other people, to the point that they’d think something is wrong with her. She never cares for their opinions nor does she ever try to correct them. For her, her world was of flowers, berries, bushes, plants- and oh yes- the butterflies. 

Nilee remembers vividly the first time she saw a butterfly in real. It came flying from behind when her father was showing her the lilies that had just blossomed. At first, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Such bright colors yet such delicateness. It sat on her colorful dress thinking it was a flower.  How overjoyed was her father! She remembers vividly. 

Nilee was playing in her garden when her mom got a phone call on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Her father, a Himalayan Trekker had gone to the mountains, to climb a really difficult summit. It had been 5 days since they had lost contact with the base camp. And now the telephone brought news of an avalanche hitting the climbing route heavily. Nobody could be certain but one thing they all believed, the chances of Nilee seeing her father were not very high. Nilee was tending her roses when the news broke. Everyone thought she wouldn’t grasp what had happened, so young was she. Nilee had understood. 

Years have passed by. Nilee has now moved with her mother to another house, leaving her home, and her garden behind. They now live on the 7th floor, next to her cousins. She is growing up fast, spending a lot of time studying for exams. If you see her now, happily sitting amongst friends, you wouldn’t recognize the younger, shy Nilee. Her mom, after opening her own bakery, is tending to every need of Nilee. Things have been good for a while and Nilee has big dreams of becoming a commercial pilot.

From the 7th floor, the sky seems nearer than the ground. Clouds seem more fun than gardens. Future more so than the past. But if you look carefully enough, you’ll find a rose waiting in the window where Nilee sleeps- waiting forever to catch a delicate landing of a butterfly, hoping to rekindle the lost moment of love.