Well, I thought I’d seen it all, but this is new. I’ve been up on this wall for quite some time. I have seen many things, and no one notices, but I have been an avid spectator in others’ lives. I have seen first kisses, last kisses, break ups, make ups, the whole shebang. I’ve even made a few enemies in this garden-mostly with the trees. They aren’t aware I’ve made them my enemy, but it is very much a real thing.  

    You see I have become complacent in this garden; the same old thing every day, so you can imagine my surprise when I woke up one day to the garden completely flooded. It was a massacre. The plants that I once saw everyday were now submerged under the water. Some of them will thrive, others will not. It’s a shame really; the cacti were among my favorites. They always kept to themselves and let me rest in peace, so seeing their demise was a bit of a sore spot. Unfortunately, the trees survived. Out of everyone to survive, why did it have to be the trees?  

   It was a tragedy, for me at least. I’m a mural after all, so being submerged in water isn’t that good for me for obvious reasons. I could feel the bottom half of me slowly disintegrating into the mass of liquid. I mean my bottom half was always my good side, and it absolutely destroyed me. I could feel the water washing against me, and I’ve felt rain before, but this is a whole new experience. It almost tingles, and it was cold at first, but I adjusted fast. I am lucky to still have my head; that would’ve been a huge problem.  

    Amid the chaos, I recall hearing the others crying out for their friends, hoping they made it safely. Now I’m not trying to sound self-centered, but I think they were making it a way bigger deal than it really was. I’ve seen the plants come and go throughout my life. They die and regrow. It’s what they do. I guess maybe I don’t have the same mindset as the rest, though, because they were calling out frantically. Dramatic much? I’m not heartless! I’ve just seen things throughout my life, and you can’t get attached because it can be taken away from you in seconds. But damn, this was way more than a thing or two! This was a whole catastrophe on our hands. 

 Once all the noise from the others settled down, it was calm again. Finally, peace and quiet. Then, bam! Birds! They must ruin everything with their constant chatter! They never say anything important either, just mindless gossip they picked up from the other gardens. The biggest issue is they love the trees, and the trees love them. So not only do I have to hear the insufferable talking from thick headed trees, but I also now must hear the high-pitched voices of the birds. I wish that was the worst part of this flood, but while everyone was trying to find each other, I called out to my best friend. He was the mural next to me, but a bit lower than me. I always loved that... would constantly give him slack for being shorter than me. I never imagined I would wish I was the shorter one. He didn’t survive the flood; it hit us at night while we were asleep. He never had a chance. The water reached just above his head, and slowly he washed away, leaving no trace, almost as if he was never there. Maybe I don’t hate the birds and trees because they annoy me. Maybe I’m jealous because they still have each other, and I’m alone..... for good, this time.