The Rose Trilogy Three Short Stories by Maria Tedeschi

Why a trilogy?

The number Three, so powerful and full of meaning, has always fascinated me.
Three is the synthesis of the even (two) and the odd (one), the symbol of the Christian Trinity and the exit from antagonism. It overcomes the partial, reductive, and contrasting vision of dualism between two opposing realities: right/wrong, beautiful/ugly, innocent/guilty, man/woman.
Three is also the symbol of the trifurcation of the plant when its branches sprout. Almost as if in the number Three, thoughts multiply and expand, becoming simultaneously mother, father, and son, and therefore breathing life into our future.
The Kabbalah associates the number Three with Ghimel (ג), the third letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The figure of Ghimel (ג) reminds me of a runner, one foot pushing forwards as if trying to escape their own limitations, from a paralysing, immobilising stasis.
The figure of Ghimel:
ג

In the Smorfia, the book which details the old Neapolitan tradition of analysing dreams and converting them into Lotto numbers, the number Three is synonymous with 'a jatta (the cat): an animal known for always landing on its feet, its strong natural instinct, and the way it faces every situation, even the worst, in almost total autonomy.

Every rose, through its extraordinary variety of scents and vibrant colours, conveys a message, often quite contrasting in meaning.
The rose is both good and evil - loved by witches and fairies alike. Often associated with ethereal beauty, but also with pain and deception, due to the dangerous thorns along its stem. Its constant flowering and fading is a cyclic perpetuation towards other dimensions of 'being', it is in a continuous phase of 'becoming'. Its fragrance can give excellent psychological and physical support and ease inner conflicts, helping us find peace and serenity within moments.
The Yellow Rose is the happiest colour. It is a symbol of vivacity but also of jealousy. It stimulates and boost self-esteem in moments of despair.
The Red Rose represents feelings, like passion and extreme love, powerful and, sometimes, imperfect feelings. That isn't all that it represents, however, it has other, secondary meanings.
Finally, the pink rose symbolises affection and friendship. It conveys a message of affinity, friendship and loyalty, the absence of malice and ulterior motives, simplicity, light-heartedness, and admiration, but also the existence of a recent, innocent love.
For these stories, I took inspiration from my studies of Japanese literature, in particular, the philosophy of Wabi Sabi and the way it captures beauty in imperfection, appreciating simplicity and accepting the transient nature of everything.
As an alternative to the way we face the challenges of modern life and its limitations, it suggests we simply slow down and simplify the complications of our day to day life by focusing on what really matters: our passions, our dreams, which are often left by the wayside when we're "sadly" realistic. We're surrounded by a myriad of possibilities but we fail to see them because they lie just beyond our fears of possible failure. Those fears will always exist, but their purpose should be to strengthen our capacity for resilience. The beauty of sincere simplicity can be found in the inexorable passage of time, the serene understanding of nostalgia and the imperfection of a sweeter, deeper tension.