The Old Pond at the Garden of Croft Castle

The silence is broken by the humming of bees and the cries of birds, both near and far. Enough trees and shrubs for small forms of life to settle down here. Enough rooms in the castle to lodge more than the only two inhabitants it now boasts: Lord and Lady Croft, last of the lineage.
Why should beauty bear such a lonely fate? If only there were some five-year olds running around these well-tended lawns to remind me of the ever-turning wheel of life. The birds do their best, but it’s not enough proof. Not today when I come across these nenuphars, waiting in ambush just to draw me back to my own long lost pond. The buds are showing just over the quiet surface of the water. At least they have had the consideration not to bloom in front of my eyes, lest my heart could not resist the memory.