The Garden of Elira
A story about choosing yourself before choosing love. In a quiet valley surrounded by golden hills, there lived a gardener named Elira . Elira had a gift: everything she touched blossomed. Her roses opened earlier than anyone else’s. Her lilies glowed under the moon. Her jasmine scented the entire valley at night. People from nearby villages admired her garden. But very few admired Elira herself. Whenever someone came to visit, Elira gave them her best flowers. She let them walk anywhere they wanted. She let them take what they pleased. Not because they asked with kindness— but because she hoped that by giving, they would stay . Some stayed for a moment… Some stayed for a season… But eventually, they all left. One day, after another visitor took her rarest rose and walked away without a thank you, Elira sat in the empty garden and cried. A gentle woman named Seren , the Guardian of Roots, appeared beside her. “Elira,” Seren whispered, “why do you give away you...