When Felicia’s parents died, her brother Bruno inherited the house and all its possessions except for a silver ring and myself, a humble pot of pink flowers. He wouldn’t even share his food with Felicia. He ate an egg for supper and threw her the shell.

“There, that is all I can give you,” he said. “If you don’t like it, you can go out and catch frogs. There are plenty of them in the marsh.”

Felicia wept bitterly and went to her little room where she found me. We filled the atmosphere with our sweet scent, and she spoke to us. “Beautiful pinks, you are the only comfort I have left. Be very sure that I will take care of you, and water you well, and never allow any cruel hand to tear you from your stems.”

She looked closely at us and noticed that we were very dry. Taking her pitcher, she ran off into the clear moonlight to the fountain, which was some distance away. Little did she know how far my sweet atmosphere extended!

The Pot of Pinks in Felicia and the Pot of Pinks, Blue Fairy Book. Painting by John William Waterhouse.

The idea of being “in the pink” comes from Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, when Mercurio said, “Why, I am the very pinke of curtesie.” Imagine that you’re feeling “in the pink”. Where are you? Describe what you see, noticing everything with all your senses. What do you hear, smell, touch, and taste? How does being there make you feel? Express the feeling in a word, a line, a poem, a drawing, or in music. Or take an action that extends the sweetness to something or someone else.