It was a peaceful afternoon at home. The scent of fresh lotus flowers filled the living room, arranged beautifully in Mom’s favorite porcelain vase. The house was quiet—too quiet—until a sudden crash shattered the calm.
“Lala!” Mom’s voice rang out, filled with alarm.
Just moments earlier, mischievous little Lala had been chasing her plush duck around the room, giggling and jumping over cushions. The duck had slipped from her hands and bounced straight toward the low table where the delicate lotus vase stood. Lala lunged after it without thinking.
In that split second—crash!—the vase toppled and shattered into dozens of pieces. Pink lotus petals scattered across the floor like sad confetti.
Lala froze. Her eyes grew wide with guilt and fear. She stared at the mess, then down at her feet. The duck lay in the middle of it all, as if it too was shocked at what had happened.
Mom came rushing in, her face a mix of worry and frustration. “Lala, what did you do?”
“I didn’t mean to! I was just playing…” Lala whispered, her voice trembling and eyes welling up with tears.
Mom sighed, kneeling down to carefully pick up the sharp pieces of the vase. “This was a gift from Grandma,” she said softly.
“I’m so sorry, Mommy,” Lala said, sniffling. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled drawing—her latest artwork with stick figures, sunshine, and a heart. “This is for you… I’ll be more careful next time.”
Mom looked at the drawing and couldn’t help but smile. “Accidents happen, Lala. But next time, no running near the table, okay?”
Lala nodded and hugged her mom tightly. Together, they cleaned up the broken vase and put the lotus flowers in a smaller jar.
Though the vase was gone, Lala learned an important lesson about being careful—and how a sincere apology can go a long way.
