Immigrants | Inside the Mind of Isadora

Bright sunflowers had greeted Nadia each time she’d visited her baba Oksana.

As a small child, she’d watched her grandmother cook traditional Russian meals while recounting tales of her journey to the new land she’d eventually call home.

She’d traveled on a crowded boat with few belongings. The small amount of sunflower seeds she’d brought to eat were almost gone by the time she’d arrived.

Oksana decided to plant the leftover sunflower seeds in remembrance of her home; left behind.

Imprinted in Nadia’s heart, memories of her baba Oksana’s smile and love of sunflowers.

Nadia planted sunflowers at her grave.

2019©Isadora DeLaVega

Word Count:100 words

Genre: Flash Fiction

Photo Prompt:©Ted Strutz

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*****The dictionary terms and basic forms for grandfather and grandmother in Russian are dedushka and babushka. They’re often shortened for children to ded (grandfather) or baba (grandmother).

Nadia was stunned at how well the sunflowers had grown.

As a little child, she watched her grandmother, Oksana, cook traditional Russian meals while recounting tales of her journey to this new land she would eventually call home.

She told Nadia she’d traveled by boat for weeks. It was crowded. They were hungry. She had no belongings. The small amount of sunflower seeds she’d brought to eat were almost gone by the time they’d arrived.

Oksana felt bewildered by the new language, new customs and clothing.

She decided to plant the leftover sunflower seeds as a remembrance of her home left behind.

They grew tall. Bigger than in Russia.

Nadia never forgot her grandmothers love of sunflowers.

She remembered her smile was as big as a sunflower.

Nadia planted sunflowers at her grave.

Genre: Flash Fiction
Word Count: 133