The Old Man and his Pomelo Field

There was an old man who had a pomelo field. Every spring, the pomelo orchard would bloom, and the lily-white star-shaped flowers would blanket the mountain hills as if snow-capped.  Bursts of fragrance would fill the air, and even the nearby village could smell it. The farmer was eighty years old. He had been caring for the orchard for more than half a century. Every year at this time, he would stand tip-toed, reach up to the branches to pluck those chubby pomelos from the twigs. Yet, last year, he fell ill and could only move around in a wheelchair. He couldn’t stand up to touch those pomelos anymore.  

In spring that followed, as always, the pomelo flowers bloomed. The old man insisted on going up to the mountain to see his pomelo orchard. His son pushed the old man up the hill in a wheelchair. It was already in the afternoon when he reached the top of the mountain. The fragrance of the pomelo flowers got stronger as they inched closer to them. “They are chatting,” the old man said, "The pomelo flowers smell so good!" his son replied. “I don’t know if I will still be able to smell the pomelo flowers when they bloom next year,” the old man lamented. His son burst into tears when he heard that.  

The old man did not survive the cold winter. Next spring, the pomelo flowers bloomed, but the old man was not there. Now, everyone can only recall the old man’s smile and his warm hands, remember the beautiful pomelo flowers, and imagine them as the old man’s smiles. 

Emily is a 7th-grade student at Taipei Municipal Long Men Junior High School who has discovered a unique passion for crafting her own short stories. Drawing inspiration from the literary works she reads, she transforms her thoughts and emotions into captivating narratives, continuously exploring the art of storytelling with creativity and enthusiasm.