The Orange Dahlia

A Story by Abishai100

A diorama-fable about 'discovery' of spirit in conditions of encountered darkness.

An evangelism-oriented 'fable' about discovery of human potion. Inspired by Angela's Ashes (Alan Parker). Enjoy,

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I've been a blood-diamond detective doubling as a night-prowling vigilante in places like Northern Ireland (United Kingdom) and British Columbia (North America) and was stunned when I discovered a special case in sectarian-troubled Belfast which turned my life around (completely!).

I was performing a guerrilla-operation with Interpol-office(s) relations in 'troubled' Belfast for blood-diamond inquiry and smugglers-vehicles and hiding in a random place designated (by me!) as a safehouse which turned out to be housing a small drug-addicted underclass Irish-Catholic family with a small toddler-child named Ralphie.

Ralphie died of starvation/dehydration on an Easter season in Belfast while I was there in his family-residence area as 'Storm-Shadow' (blood-diamond operationalist) and visited his Northern Ireland cemetery to pour some good old Irish ale on his tombstone and shed some tears for the fallen child, who'd served rather 'valiantly' as a 'cheerleader' of his small-family (parents) struggling with drug-addiction and poverty and who failed to care properly for their wonder-child who was malnourished and under-hydrated when he passed away.

I remember hiding/living in that Northern Ireland safehouse and preparing some delicious hot-piping carrot-soup every Sunday for dear child Ralphie in that safehouse kitchen (publicly-shared!) and would bring a bowl/pot to his parents for him and realized he'd learned to become an 'avid-fan' of that zesty dish. Carrots symbolize a special 'organic yearning' for something basic/simple and nutritious but potentially spicy/tasty. A carrot has been used by comics to describe the funny human tendency to entreat the child-like imagination of unrequited ambition(s) and never 'quite' making the grade for a given yearning for something or some idea. Ralphie had become an 'angel' of carrot-soup in that Belfast safehouse.

I remember watching Ralphie enjoy my prepared pots/bowls of hot-piping carrot-soup for him in that rather dingy Belfast safehouse and thought to myself, "This darling-child's a 'certain' faerie-angel of this struggling drug-addicted impoverished family/couple in 'troubled' Northern Ireland!"

One of Ralphie's greatest boons in this Catholic life was his love of paints/art(s) and he'd spend time indulging in this creative endeavor in his private-area of his small-family safehouse residence-area. I'd sometimes praise his creative work(s) and tell his parents, "He'll grow up to be an Irish 'poet' of the troubled landscape, I'm certain!"

I got this terrific Manning-Volunteers sports-card in the United States to remind myself of that wondrous piping-hot carrot-soup I'd prepare for dear Ralphie in that Northern Ireland safehouse on Sundays, since the Volunteers boast that 'iconic' orange-colored team-uniform which reminds me of the 'symbolic-spiritual' color(s) of the carrot-soup dish. Orange is a strange/funny blending color in the wheel of optics, and I remembered the 'quality' of the soup when I think of the Manning-card(s) representing world-dreams.

I married a Volunteers senior-year student (cheerleader!) after she graduated and began work in Tennessee (where I work now as a publisher/writer!) as a law-firm assistant! She'd got this terrific photo of that orange-color team (Volunteer) uniform reminding me 'again' of that wondrous carrot-soup I'd make for dear Ralphie of Belfast (UK).

The gov't gave me a special retirement-pension/package which I've used alongside a fruitful NYSE investment in Ford which earned me millions, enough to purchase a non-orange/blue-and-white sports-car which I drive around Orange County now, and I can't get Ralphie out of my heart (even now), which I explain to my dear wife in North America.

EZZY (wife): This is a child's toy ring?
ME: Yeah, I'd hoped you'd wear it to a Volunteer-picnic!
EZZY: Why?
ME: It's a 'symbol' of my memory of a dear child I encountered during my 'James Bond' work in the UK.

EZZY: Why?
ME: It just reminds me of something 'bright' in a season of darkness.

EZZY: That's touching!

I also got this wondrous orange-and-red 'flames' faerie-figurine, which I named 'Ralphie' (even though it's a female-figure), and I put it on the shelf of my den in my Tennessee house, which Ezzy loves too.