Leyla: The Black Tulip

The Mistress of the Gardens

Belkıs tells Leyla the Mistress of the Flowers spends so much time with the plants that she is becoming one of them. She communicates with the flowers and plants. They tell her how to care for them. Although the Bostanjis, the men with bald heads and huge mustaches, disagree with her. The Bostanjis are responsible for everything that happens in the palace. They are also the executioners.

When Leyla hears this, she shudders. The Mistress of the Flowers is in a very large garden when Leyla and Belkıs find her. She’s preparing a large floral arrangement. She’s small and thin, and her skin is so translucent that Leyla can see the blue of her veins.

The Mistress of the Flowers looks Leyla up and down. She motions for Belkıs and Leyla to follow her. They enter a greenhouse nursery with a glass dome. The Mistress of the Flowers points at some drawers and shows Leyla the bulbs inside. Leyla almost swallows her tongue. So many tulip bulbs!

Then, the Mistress of the Flowers leads the girls to a plot of land that smells like manure; it’s been freshly turned. The smell reminds Leyla of her home. Belkıs nods, and says Leyla will begin planting with the bulbs there tomorrow. Then, the Mistress of the Flowers leaves.

Belkıs explains that the Mistress of the Flowers is mute. She spends most of her time alone, communicating with the plant spirits. Although people think she is odd, they respect her ability to communicate with plants.

Leyla doesn’t think the Mistress of the Flowers is strange at all. In fact, she senses that she is extraordinary. Maybe she knows the connection between plants and people. Leyla knows she is lucky to have been placed under the Mistress of the Flowers for her apprenticeship. She wonders if the coin from the poet has indeed brought her luck.