Adapted from an anecdote recorded in the wizard’s later journals.

It is a crisp, spring morning. A little cold with a clear sky. It might rain in the afternoon, but the morning sun is bright.

Ai-generated illustration of yellow daffodils in a snowy garden. [https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1600/1*aBGH67CDi6lDHzDdly5_Xw.jpeg]

Jonquils poke yellow heads above the frost. The first harbinger of spring, they are a resilient flower. The daffodils will be arriving soon and the tulips.

Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Of the bird kingdom, the crimson-chested robins are the first to greet the spring. Not to disregard the cardinals, who never left. The robin pretends that it owns the place, hopping brazenly where the cardinals fed all winter. Next, the bluejays arrive then the mockingbirds. Finally, the wrens fly in on brown-specked wings. The mysterious crows stop by to say hello. When they disappear, no one knows where they go.

Early spring is a manifestation of Earth’s hope — a promise of what will be. The real work hasn’t started yet — you cannot plant if there is still frost. The jonquils plant themselves and grow without bidding, reminding the rest of us to push through the cold.

How do they do it?