It was strange how everyone in Maple Hill seemed to have the same idea that week—flowers. More specifically, lilies. Bright yellow ones by the roadside, white ones in backyards, orange ones blazing in the sun, and water lilies floating like stars across Willow Pond. Everywhere you looked, lilies were in bloom.

It all started with seventh-grader Kayla Brooks. She was looking out her bedroom window when she spotted the white lilies blooming on the edge of the pond.

“They’re out!” she shouted, racing downstairs. “Mom, can Sam and I take the rowboat and pick some lilies?”

Sam, her little brother, was already slipping on his shoes. Their mom nodded. “Take your phone. And be careful.”

The pond wasn’t very deep, and Sam was good with the oars. Kayla leaned over the side of the boat, collecting flowers and piling them gently into a big basket.

“I know what we should do,” she said, her eyes lighting up. “Let’s decorate the community center stage with these. They’re having that concert tomorrow.”

“Yes!” Sam said. “We can get ferns too—make it look like a jungle!”

Meanwhile, across town, Ms. Grant was trimming flowers in her front yard. She clipped a bunch of red lilies and looked at them for a moment. “We haven’t had flowers on the community stage in ages,” she murmured. “Might as well share these beauties.”

She placed them in a tall mason jar filled with water and set them by the door. “I’ll drop them off after dinner,” she told her cat.

At the community center, high school junior Zoey Morrow—who happened to be the director’s daughter—had her own idea. She had planted white daylilies in the back garden last spring. This week they had bloomed for the first time, and she had been carefully cutting the best ones to surprise her dad.

“He’s going to love this,” she said, tucking the bouquet into a basket. “One more reason to smile during the show.”

Over on the far edge of town, Alice Lyon—visiting her aunt for the summer—had taken one of her usual afternoon walks. She’d only planned to go around the block, but a patch of bright yellow caught her eye across the field. When she got closer, she found wild lilies growing along the fence line. She gathered a bunch, thinking, These would look amazing in a bouquet. Maybe I’ll take them to the concert tomorrow.

That evening, something funny happened. Everyone with lilies showed up at the community center—at nearly the same time.

Kayla and Sam were first, dragging in their pond lilies and ferns. Zoey met them onstage with her basket of white blooms.

“Oh wow,” she said, eyes wide. “These are gorgeous!”

Just then, Ms. Grant peeked in, holding her red lilies. “Looks like you’re already on it,” she said, laughing. “But I brought a few more if you need them.”

“We definitely do!” Zoey said. “This is turning into something big.”

A moment later, Alice walked through the front doors with her bouquet of yellow lilies. Her white sundress and smile made her look like she was part of the flowers herself.

Sam’s eyes went wide. “Are we making a lily museum or something?”

“Nope,” Kayla said. “We’re making Lily Day.”

Everyone jumped in to help. Ms. Grant went home for extra vases. Zoey arranged the flowers by color and height. Alice shaped a centerpiece with all the colors blended together, surrounded by ferns.

When they were done, the stage glowed. The front had a sweeping wave of pond lilies and greenery. The corners held tall jars of red and white lilies. And at the center stood a shining tower of mixed flowers, like a firework frozen in bloom.

The next afternoon, the concert hall filled quickly. Everyone noticed the flowers right away. They whispered and smiled, impressed by the sudden burst of beauty.

No one was more surprised than Zoey’s dad, who stepped up to the mic and looked around at the decorations. “You know,” he said, smiling, “I had a different speech planned. But I think today calls for something else.”

He looked at the sea of colors around him.

“Consider the lilies,” he said. “If we take the time to notice what’s blooming around us—and who helped make it happen—we’ll always find something to celebrate.”

The audience clapped. The music began. And Lily Day became something no one in Maple Hill would forget.

_{“Lily Day” by Nina D. Smith © 2025. Retelling of “LILY DAY” from A Day in the Country and Other Stories from “The Pansy” originally published in 1885.}

---

“Lily Day” is ideal for students in grades 4–6, as it features relatable characters, a community-focused setting, and themes of teamwork, creativity, and kindness presented in accessible, age-appropriate language.