The Write Place: There Were Flowers
List seven times there were flowers
There were flowers when Castiel was created. He and the other angels would sometimes walk in the Garden and all around were flowers, in a cascade of rainbows and as bright as gems. They were treasures greater than anything Castiel could dream of. His true form, fire and light, made it so he couldn’t touch them without destroying them. He learned to stand at a great distance and take in the colors without being able to truly experience it.
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There were flowers in Egypt, as red as the blood that painted the doors of the slaves. While the Angel of Death led the charge, Castiel and his brothers swept along behind him, spreading out in a wave of death to take the souls of the first born. The one soul he claimed belong to an Egyptian priest’s son. There were flowers in the boy’s room, bright red faced lilies that danced in the breeze created by his wings. He remembered those lilies as often as he remembered the boy’s face and his mother’s weeping.
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There were flowers in Sodom, in all sorts of colors. In the city of sin, the flowers stayed pure. Castiel could only guess what those flowers saw or heard in the city. They were everywhere, in silk draped bedrooms and whore houses. Even little white faced flowers lurked in back alleys to see murders, rapes and other sins. While the angels watched above, the flowers watched from the city itself. He was sad to see the flowers die when the city was destroyed.
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There were flowers outside Jesus’ grave. It was a beautiful to see how overnight the flowers just grew. On the first day, there were no flowers, only mourners who had come to weep over the death of their Savior. Castiel had wanted to comfort them, but he and his brothers stayed back. The world needed to mourn and understand that they’d lost. On the second day, mourners brought flowers and other offerings. They weren’t very pleased with that, but Castiel understood the importance of their gifts. On the third day, the flowers grew themselves as a sign. Humanity was saved and the Son was risen.
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There were flowers on the battlefield, trampled under charging feet and weight down by blood. Hundreds of battlefields, hundreds of years and hundreds of flowers trampled. Some died, like the soldiers around them, and returned to the earth from which they came. Castiel watched these flowers, watched these wars and waited. He knew that if he waited long enough, the flowers would return. So would the wars.
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There were flowers growing around Dean Winchester’s grave. They had first been left there by Sam Winchester during one of his pilgrimages. They should have died, but they laid down seeds, eventually budded and then began to grow. Castiel regretted that when he threw himself into Hell, blazing fire, light and God’s glory, he would kill them. While his Grace could restore them, his Grace couldn’t be what he used to get into Hell. He would restore them one day, after he had restored Dean Winchester.
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There were flowers around Pamela’s house, and herbs too. When Castiel appears, she’s up to her wrists in dirt with a tray of bright purple and pink flowers next to her along with her gardening tools. He watches quietly while she carefully selects one, tenderly exposes the roots and then lays it in the ground. She’s very careful with it, taking care of the life that was in her hands. He smiles slightly to see her care for the flowers like she cared for everything.
There were flowers when Castiel was created. He and the other angels would sometimes walk in the Garden and all around were flowers, in a cascade of rainbows and as bright as gems. They were treasures greater than anything Castiel could dream of. His true form, fire and light, made it so he couldn’t touch them without destroying them. He learned to stand at a great distance and take in the colors without being able to truly experience it.
---
There were flowers in Egypt, as red as the blood that painted the doors of the slaves. While the Angel of Death led the charge, Castiel and his brothers swept along behind him, spreading out in a wave of death to take the souls of the first born. The one soul he claimed belong to an Egyptian priest’s son. There were flowers in the boy’s room, bright red faced lilies that danced in the breeze created by his wings. He remembered those lilies as often as he remembered the boy’s face and his mother’s weeping.
---
There were flowers in Sodom, in all sorts of colors. In the city of sin, the flowers stayed pure. Castiel could only guess what those flowers saw or heard in the city. They were everywhere, in silk draped bedrooms and whore houses. Even little white faced flowers lurked in back alleys to see murders, rapes and other sins. While the angels watched above, the flowers watched from the city itself. He was sad to see the flowers die when the city was destroyed.
---
There were flowers outside Jesus’ grave. It was a beautiful to see how overnight the flowers just grew. On the first day, there were no flowers, only mourners who had come to weep over the death of their Savior. Castiel had wanted to comfort them, but he and his brothers stayed back. The world needed to mourn and understand that they’d lost. On the second day, mourners brought flowers and other offerings. They weren’t very pleased with that, but Castiel understood the importance of their gifts. On the third day, the flowers grew themselves as a sign. Humanity was saved and the Son was risen.
---
There were flowers on the battlefield, trampled under charging feet and weight down by blood. Hundreds of battlefields, hundreds of years and hundreds of flowers trampled. Some died, like the soldiers around them, and returned to the earth from which they came. Castiel watched these flowers, watched these wars and waited. He knew that if he waited long enough, the flowers would return. So would the wars.
---
There were flowers growing around Dean Winchester’s grave. They had first been left there by Sam Winchester during one of his pilgrimages. They should have died, but they laid down seeds, eventually budded and then began to grow. Castiel regretted that when he threw himself into Hell, blazing fire, light and God’s glory, he would kill them. While his Grace could restore them, his Grace couldn’t be what he used to get into Hell. He would restore them one day, after he had restored Dean Winchester.
---
There were flowers around Pamela’s house, and herbs too. When Castiel appears, she’s up to her wrists in dirt with a tray of bright purple and pink flowers next to her along with her gardening tools. He watches quietly while she carefully selects one, tenderly exposes the roots and then lays it in the ground. She’s very careful with it, taking care of the life that was in her hands. He smiles slightly to see her care for the flowers like she cared for everything.