Prompt #214287205
Topic/Theme: spy | Location/Setting: cabin
Character(s): sentient plant | Object(s): NA
Action: NA | Random Additive: map
Florsentient
“What’s your name, pretty flower?…Come on, tell me please. I know you can understand me. I saw you squeeze out the cabin walls, and besides, you paused when I yelled stop.”
The pretty flower did not respond. The little girl decided it was time to be just a little bad and make this crawling plant talk to her. First she breathed hot heavy breath on the flower, then she shook its stem, and finally she plucked one tiny leaf and the flower swatted at her.
“I knew you were alive…I mean, all plants are alive, but you’re like me alive, walking and talking. Oh please, won’t you talk to me. I’m sorry about your leaf. I hope you’re not forever damaged.”
The flower crossed its leaves and lowered its petals, finally revealing its face hidden underneath a bushel of anthers. There were black twitchy eyes at the base of the green pistil that had a bright yellow stigma, a perfect resemblance of a nose. There was no mouth to speak of, but the anthers seems to be honing in on the girls face and voice, like antennae seeking a good signal, most possibly the location of the ears.
After a good long look the girl became concerned. “You can’t talk can you? I mean, not the way I do?”
The flower shook its petals from side to side and the little girl clapped her hands.
“Oh oh, it doesn’t matter. You can answer yes and no questions, can’t you?”
The flower shook its petals again, this time up and down.
“Are you an alien?”
The flower shook no.
“Are there others like you?”
The flower hesitated, then shook yes, and then no.
“Well, what does that mean?…Wait. There are more like you, but not many. You’re all going away, right?”
The flower shook its petals up and down and then wilted a few leaves.
“Oh no,” said the little girl. “Is it my fault? Did I do it?”
The flower shook no.
“I want to help you. There has to be something I can do to help…Wait, you were trying to get into our cabin. What did you want there?”
The flower shrugged its leaves.
“Oh right, yes or no questions. There must be a better way for us to communicate.”
The flower shook its petals rapidly and waved its leaves.
“So there is a better way to communicate; I just need to figure out what it is…Should I take you inside?”
The flower shook yes.
The little girl bent down to scoop the roots up, but the flower protested by waving its leaves. The girl paused and noticed the flower uprooting itself, keeping all its roots intact, while slowly losing vertical stature. Soon the whole flower was lying flat, and it was inching like a worm toward the girl’s hand. Finally she carefully picked it up and carried it into her cabin.
Once in, the girl looked down at the flower and could sense that it was already missing the comfort of the moist soil, so she decided to put it in a glass of water. Once in the water, the flower began to dance about. The little girl was so tickled that she almost didn’t notice the words forming in the glass. The flower stretched, twisted, and twirled its roots around to spell out the word “Hello.”
“Oh my goodness! That’s how you talk. That is so cool!”
“Thank you”, spelled the flower.
“So now I can ask you almost anything. So,…what is your name?”
“Melfor.”
“Well Melfor, it’s nice to meet you. My name is Abby.”
“Abby friend?”
“Oh yes. I’m totally a friend. Remember, I want to help you. What can I do?”
“Map?”
“You’re looking for a map?”
“Yes.”
“A map where?”
“Refuge.”
“A what? I don’t know that word, sorry.”
“Safe place.”
“Oh, okay. You’re looking for a map to a safe place. Probably a place that has more of your kind, right?”
“Yes.”
“What does the map look like?”
“Leaf.”
“Um, um, well, um. Can you tell me a little more? I mean, there are plants all over this place and they all have leaves. I need a little more to go on.”
“Big shiny leaf.”
“Huh, big shiny leaf…okay.”
“You find…You bring in.”
“Oh right. That big leaf I found in the woods. Dad didn’t believe me. He said that type of plant was tropical and didn’t grow around here, but sure enough I found it in the woods just down the road.”
“Me see leaf?”
“Oh sure, just wait here…Well, I guess you have to, being in the glass and all. Anyway, I’ll be right back.”
Abby rushed way to retrieve the special leaf she’d discovered only a few days ago. In her absence, Melfor went to work carrying out the dual purpose of his staged encounter with the girl. The last male of his kind, he needed access to an international delivery system to help spread his seeds around the world to all the females, in one final attempt to relaunch the species. His targets for delivery were the clothes of the human man who lived there. He was a pilot and a perfect Trojan for spreading Melfor’s seeds.
After a quick sweep of the room, Melfor was delighted to see that the pilot’s jacket, hat, and briefcase were in plain sight, resting on a hook next to the front door. The whole cabin, inside and out, was carved of wood. Some pieces, while damaged and long dormant, were still alive and eager to lend support to their sentient cousin. Walls, floors, and even a few pieces of furniture splintered, fragments floated over Melfor as he sprayed them with his seeds, and then crash landed onto the pilot’s things. Melfor and his cousins knew many of the seeds and splinters would be dusted away on sight, but just enough should latch on and ride the pilot to some far away destination to seek fertilization.
Abby came rushing back in with her rare leaf and presented it to Melfor. “Here it is Melfor. Now what?”
“Water.”
“You want me to put water on it?”
“Yes.”
“A lot or just a little? Should I put it in a glass like you?”
“Sprinkle.”
“Oh, okay. I can just sprinkle some water on it.”
Abby sprinkled some water on the big shiny leaf and it began to glow. Abby almost dropped the leaf, but managed to hold on to it once she realized it wasn’t burning or buzzing or anything else, but glowing.
Shaking so much as to splash water out of his glass, Melfor gained Abby’s attentions and spelled out, “Put me on.”
Abby shook her head, but Melfor insisted. Finally, she picked him up and placed him on the leaf. With soaking roots pressed against the shiny surface, Melfor began to spell out more words. Abby was sad but didn’t know why. “What’s happening?” she asked.
“Time to go.”
“No, I just met you. I’m not sending you away yet.”
“You help…You send.”
“But, I just…”
“You say…You help…Please send.”
Abby was quite for a moment. Her hands began to shake as Melfor wrapped his leaves around the larger leaf supporting him. Finally Abby conceded. “Fine, how do I send you away?”
“Window.”
Abby crept to the window, taking her time as she fought back tears. “No one’s ever going to believe me. They’ll all just think I’m the crazy girl who talks to plants.”
“Florsentient.”
Abby sniffled. “What’s that? I don’t know that word.”
“I florsentient…Melfor, florsentient.”
“Oh got it. Well, little florsentient, I hope to get to wherever it is you’re going.”
“Thank you…Abby friend.”
Abby opened the window and let the breeze roll over her hand a moment before letting go. A tear fell from her eyes when Melfor didn’t look back, but then she thought, may he couldn’t. He couldn’t sit up very well without something to support his roots. Then she walked over to the phone and dialed 1.
“I did it Dad. Just like you said. I made friends, recorded him interacting with the cabin, and then planted the tracking tag…You won’t hurt him, will you?”
“No honey, I won’t hurt him. I just want to help him, but I knew he’d never talk to me. That’s why I needed my number one spy on the job. You did a good job sweetheart.”
1401 words
Day Month June 26, 2015 – Prompt #0269138167
Topic/Theme: quest | Location/Setting: inside
Character(s): NA| Object(s): weapon | Action: confuse | Random Additive: NA
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Mark: I am a multi-genre author (the clever name for contemporary fiction). I have written nine novels, seven of which are currently in print. My latest book is a gangster thriller set in the UK called Once Upon A Time In The City Of Criminals, which is difficult to acronymise. It is currently my best seller in the US.
Mark: Once Upon A Time In The City Of Criminals. 
