Running in the Hospital
Boom, boom, boom... As the red ball hit the cold floor of the hospital, the sound grew louder, echoing through the corridors. With each explosion, the ball was quickly tossed to one side, followed by the little girl's cheerful footsteps. The hem of the running girl's red dress fluttered around her legs like the wings of a fluttering butterfly. The traces of sweat left by the white socks below her knees made pink streaks on her skin. The little girl's face was full of smiles, beaming with joy. Her hair was tied with a red ribbon on both sides and with every step she added color to the white walls of the hospital as if she was running in another world.
Suddenly her father's voice was heard: "Daughter, people are sleeping, be careful and go back to the room immediately." His voice was soft and low, unlike the sound of the ball in the corridor. As the little girl caught the ball, a muffled cough from the next room froze her in her tracks. Her fingers were buried in the rough surface of the ball and she gasped for breath. As she approached the room with slow, dragging steps, the dim light seeping through the curtain obscuring the view of the patient illuminated the cracked glass of water on the edge of the bed. As she peered cautiously into the room, aiming to see through the curtain, she was startled by her father's *"Come on!"*, pressed the ball to her chest and went back to their room.
The next day, she was fidgeting on the cold surface of the plastic chair in her mother's room. Her fingernails scratched the edge of the chair, and every cough from the next room stabbed her eardrums like a knife. When she saw her father sitting in the chair, focusing on the rustling pages of the newspaper, she turned her eyes to the dim lights of the hallway, waiting for an opportunity. The stethoscope of the doctor who had come to take her mother's pulse *rattled* on the table. As soon as the transparent liquid from the IV bag in the nurse's hand caught the little girl's attention, her father jumped to his feet.
Just then, he crept to the door *with the agility of a cat*. He tiptoed down the hallway while checking behind him. When he poked his head through the door of the next room, the sunlight seeping through the curtains illuminated the old woman standing like *a snowdrift in a white dress* on the bed. The platinum strands in her upswept hair shone like *broken mirror shards* in the sunlight. Her cheeks had taken on a reddish hue, more a reflection of illness than the marks of a healthy face. As she turned the yellowed pages of the book, the *ice-blue* color of her eyes flickered behind the lenses of her glasses. As the little girl held her breath and watched the scene, the woman suddenly looked up. When she noticed the tiny face in her field of vision, she was startled, but quickly recovered her expression and smiled warmly and said, "Hello," to the little girl. The smile in her eyes was like the only real light that illuminated the room.
The little girl was suddenly frightened. Her cheek was red with embarrassment. "Hello," she said, her voice shaky. Then she quickly left the room and ran back to her father. Her heart was racing because she had been noticed by a stranger, unexpectedly. Fortunately, his father hadn't noticed anything. He was still talking to the doctor and the nurse was putting an IV in his mother. Somehow he managed to come and go without anyone noticing.
One Day Later
The next morning, as soon as the little girl woke up, she couldn't wait to go to the hospital. She could never forget that old woman's smile and the love in her eyes. After breakfast she told her father that she wanted to wear her white dress that day. She also wanted to wear her hair in a bun. Her father was surprised, because he knew that his daughter had always been conservative in this regard, always wearing her hair parted in two and never giving up the bun. But today, her sudden decision to change was a bit of a surprise to her father. Before they left to visit her mother, her father stopped by the florist and bought a bunch of flowers.
The little girl asked her father curiously: "Why do you bring flowers to my mother every day?" Her father laughed.
"Your mother loves these flowers. I buy her these flowers to cheer her up and to help her get better as soon as possible." The little girl's eyes lit up.
The thought that her mother could get better faster made her little heart happy. When they arrived at the hospital, the little girl, holding her father's hand, cheerfully made her way to her mother's room and saw nurses and doctors hurrying down the corridor.
These hurried movements raised some questions in her mind. As she was about to enter her mother's room, she realized that the bustle in the hallway had something to do with the sounds coming from the next room.
The agitated state of affairs in the old woman's room made the little girl very uneasy. After a while everything returned to normal. The bustle and worrying atmosphere gave way to peace. But there was only one thing on the little girl's mind: Seeing the old woman again.
Flowers for the Old Woman
Seizing an opportunity, the little girl decided to quietly peek into the next room. She went out the door without letting anyone know.
Just as she stood in front of the door, a nurse appeared in front of her. The little girl's heart sank. The nurse did not say anything to her, just patted her on the head and smiled. Relieved, the little girl took quick steps into the next room. When she opened the door slightly and poked her head out, she saw that the old aunt was asleep. She had an oxygen mask over her mouth and was lying motionless. The sight frustrated the little girl. She bowed her head and went back to her own room.
At that moment, her father was placing the flowers he had brought her mother in a vase.
"Where did you go, my daughter? Please don't disappear like this without telling me," her father said with mild concern.
"Nothing," the little girl said sullenly.
At that moment, her eyes fell on the flowers her father had placed in the vase. Suddenly excited, she rushed to the vase. She grabbed a flower and ran out of the room.
"Wait, where are you going?" her father called after her.
The little girl ran into the next room. The old aunt was still asleep. She was afraid to get too close, so she gently placed the flower at the aunt's feet. At that moment, the old aunt opened her eyes slightly, saw the little girl and smiled a tired smile. However, the little girl did not notice this and quietly headed towards the door.
Her father was standing at the door, trying to understand what she was doing. Realizing the situation, the father smiled lovingly at his daughter, took her little hand and they went back to their room together.
The next day, the little girl took another one of the flowers her father had bought for her mother and brought it to the old woman. When she entered the room, there was a small vase on the old woman's bedside table and in it was the flower she had left yesterday. The little girl was very happy to see this. She managed to place the flower she had just brought a little closer to the old woman and placed it in her lap. "Thank you," the old woman said, smiling. Then, noticing that she had done her hair just like her own, the old woman said, "Your hair is beautiful, it suits you very well." The little girl cheerfully thanked her and left the room.
This tradition of bringing flowers, which had now become a routine for the little girl, had created a special bond between her and the old woman. Her initial shyness was gone and she began to do things like freshen the flowers and change the water in the vase every day. The little girl began to chat with the old woman, and the old woman would occasionally read the book she was reading aloud for the little girl to listen to.
Finally, the day came when the little girl's brother was to be born. Her palms were buried in the soft edge of the crib, her breath trembling with excitement. The girl was so happy that she didn't want to leave her newborn brother's side for a moment, observing his tiny hands, feet and face with joy. The baby's tiny fingers curled like *pink coral branches* and the soles of his feet were as smooth as *a fresh leaf*. He was so sweet that she lost track of time. Suddenly she remembered the old woman who was alone in the next room. He realized that he had forgotten to bring her flowers today. She quickly took a flower from the vase and ran out of the room. Now everyone knew where the little girl had gone.
When she reached the room, she saw no one inside. The vase was not there either. The bed had been covered and the room cleaned. There was no trace of the old woman. The little girl bowed her head in sorrow at not seeing her and reluctantly went back to her own room.
Noticing the flower in her hand, her mother asked, "Why did you bring the flower back?" "The old aunt was not in the room," the little girl said. "I was hoping to see her one more time before she left."
The parents looked at each other in silence for a moment. The little girl gently placed the flower in the vase. Then she went back to her brother and continued to play with him.
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