A Sea of Tulips

A Sea of Tulips

1On the first Saturday in April, Grandpa Joost drove Elif to the tulip fields outside town. When they climbed out of the car, Elif gasped. From the top of the hill, the fields were a giant striped blanket spread across the valley. Rows of red, yellow, pink and purple flowers stretched as far as she could see.

2"Your great-grandmother grew tulips like these when she was a girl," Grandpa said. He had visited these fields every spring for many years, so he was a walking map. He knew which paths were muddy, which rows bloomed first, and where to find the rare striped tulips.

3They walked down a narrow dirt path between the rows. The red tulips were as bright as fire trucks, and Elif had to squint when the sun hit them. Each flower was a tiny cup holding a little bit of sunshine. A fat bumblebee crawled into one of the cups and came out dusted with yellow pollen.

4Then a breeze swept across the valley. All at once, the tulips bowed like dancers at the end of a show. Elif laughed and bowed back to them. Grandpa chuckled. "They know you are their best audience," he said.

5By noon, the parking lot had filled up. The crowd at the front gate was a slow river of hats and strollers, and people inched forward step by step. Grandpa and Elif ate their sandwiches on a quiet bench at the far end of the field.

6In the afternoon, they hunted for the striped tulips. They walked and walked until Elif's legs felt like wet noodles. At last, near an old fence, they found a small patch of white tulips with thin red stripes. "They look like peppermint candies!" Elif said.

7On the drive home, Elif's eyelids were heavy curtains, and she fell asleep before they reached the highway. In her dreams, she was still walking between the rows of color.