The Green Page

A warm breeze swept across Ru’s face. For the tenth time, a lock of his wavy hair got into his eye. He jerked his head impatiently and tried to blow it away. As it didn’t work, he ran his fingers through his hair, even though they were moist and muddy. Without bothering the least, he resumed digging into the soil, removing stones and weeds with gusto. Occasionally, he stopped to wipe the perspiration over his lips, with his shirt’s sleeve. By the time he finished digging the hole, his shirt was soiled and stinking. Although it was the end of June, there wasn’t the slightest trace of monsoon showers. With global warming and natural calamities on the rise, the cycle had now become unpredictable. In spite of all that, Ru was determined to grow petunias. Even though he was passionate about gardening, he wasn’t good at it. He relied on his instincts rather than science. Unfortunately, his instincts misguided him. Ru took out the packet of petunia seeds to sow. Something caught hi