Marigold was the brightest flower in the garden. Her petals glowed like tiny suns, orange and gold, impossible to ignore. The bees loved her. The butterflies flocked to her. But the other flowers whispered behind her back.
"She's too much," the roses said.
"She shows off," the lilies agreed.
Marigold heard them. She tried to dim her color, to blend in, to be less bright. But no matter how hard she tried, she still glowed.
One evening, a storm rolled across the garden. The wind howled. The rain pounded. Flowers bent and broke in the darkness. The bees were lost. The butterflies sca