There is probably no one in the world who sincerely wishes for the weekend to end as soon as possible so that the working week may begin.

  Yet this was exactly how Arevik felt.

  Time seemed to have frozen: every hour dragged on endlessly, becoming a life of its own. Alongside her curiosity, she was tormented by anxious anticipation. She had no idea what awaited her, nor in what condition the garden might be.

  Whenever the anxiety grew unbearable, Arevik tried to calm herself by imagining how paradise-like the garden could have been if things had gone differently.

  On Monday, she went to work in an unusually good mood. In the courtyard, she spotted Grish — as always, tending to the bushes.

  “Good morning, Uncle Grish,” Arevik greeted him cheerfully.

  “Morning,” he replied barely audibly.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked carefully.

  “I don’t know yet,” Grish said curtly and walked away.

  I hope he hasn’t changed his mind…

  That was the first thought that crossed Arevik’s mind.

  Her enthusiasm dimmed slightly, and Grish’s indifference only deepened her unease. Restless thoughts followed her until the break.

  When Arevik approached the external entrance to the garden, Grish was already standing there. This simple fact filled her with hope.

  “So, Uncle Grish,” she asked with a smile, “have you decided?”

  “You wouldn’t understand anyway,” he began, but Arevik interrupted him.

  “I’m sure I wouldn’t,” she said calmly. “But I’m not going to give up. Are you with me?”

  The light in Arevik’s eyes made Grish pull himself together. He gave a faint smile and took out the key.

  No matter how much her confidence seemed to steady him, Grish’s hands were still trembling as he inserted the key into the lock.

  Maybe I’m wrong… maybe we shouldn’t reopen old wounds for these people, Arevik thought as she watched his unease.

  But perhaps this is exactly what’s needed, she answered herself.

  While Arevik was lost in thought, the lock clicked.

  The door opened.

  Grish stopped, not taking a single step forward.

  Arevik entered the garden first.

  Although it was bright outside, darkness surrounded Arevik inside the garden. Before her eyes could fully adjust, Grish was already standing beside her.

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  Slowly, Arevik began to look around. They were in a small room resembling an entryway. A pile of tools lay in the corner. After taking a few steps forward, they emerged into the garden itself.

  The nightmare from my dreams has become reality, was the first thought that came to Arevik’s mind when she saw it.

  The garden was covered in dust. The glass roof was so filthy that sunlight barely penetrated inside. Everything seemed dry… no, not dry — as though life had abandoned this place in a single moment.

  It was both green and brown at the same time. Flowers still existed, but they frightened rather than delighted. With enough imagination, one could picture how paradisiacal this garden must once have been. But now, as Arevik took it all in, a shiver ran through her body.

  Her attention was drawn to Grish’s heavy breathing beside her.

  “Are you all right?” Arevik asked, even though she herself felt far from calm.

  “No,” Grish answered roughly.

  “You are,” Arevik said with a gentle smile.

  If you still have the strength to be harsh, it means you’re holding on, she thought.

  They began to walk slowly through the garden.

  There’s truly a lot of work to be done here, Arevik noted to herself.

  Grish’s anxiety grew. Sensing it, Arevik gently took his hand. Almost immediately, she noticed his breathing begin to steady.

  That was the right thing to do, she thought.

  “Uncle Grish, what do you think?” Arevik asked quietly. “I know this is hard for you, but we don’t have much time.”

  Grish shook his head.

  “You don’t understand what this garden once was… and what it has become,” he said, then added after a pause, “This is my fault. I abandoned it.”

  “Don’t say that,” Arevik said softly. She carefully lowered his hands from his face and made him look into her eyes. “We’ll restore the garden to what it once was. But for that, you need to pull yourself together and start acting.”

  “You’re right…” Grish said, glancing around as if unsure where to begin. “We have to restore it.”

  “Where do we start, Uncle Grish?” Arevik asked. “I don’t understand anything yet.”

  “This isn’t a one-day task,” he replied after a moment’s thought. “I’ll come back here this evening, inspect everything calmly, and tomorrow I’ll give you a list.”

  “I don’t want to leave you here alone,” Arevik objected.

  “It’s all right,” Grish said. “I’ll do everything I can to bring this garden back to life.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Of course, my girl.”

  “My girl?” Arevik repeated. Grish had not shown such warmth in a long time.

  “It’s late. The break is over. Go back to work,” he said, returning to his usual stern tone.

  “I like ‘my girl’ better,” Arevik smiled. “See you tomorrow.”

  “Go on… see you tomorrow,” Grish said, then almost in a whisper added, “My girl.”

  After Arevik left, Grish slowly looked around the garden.

  “Hello, my friend… we haven’t seen each other in a long time,” he said quietly, beginning to examine the plants with care.

  Back in her office, Arevik sat motionless for a long time. She had tried to appear strong in front of Grish, but inside she was exhausted by everything she had experienced. One question would not leave her: what could have driven people to abandon a garden once so full of life and memories?

  It was clear they had left in an attempt to escape the pain, yet Grish’s condition showed that the pain had never truly disappeared.

  Arevik understood that if she pushed him, he would not speak. What he needed was trust. Time. And a shared purpose.

  “It will work out,” she said quietly aloud. “I’ll restore the garden… secretly, without the boss knowing.”

  She let out a heavy sigh.

  “It’s madness. But I still have to try.”

  Without wasting any time, Arevik began researching and compiling a list of requirements.

  The end of the day was exhausting. Arevik went to bed completely drained.

  In the morning, she woke with a strange feeling — the garden had not appeared in her dreams.