The Garden is the nice place to grow up, the servants are loyal, the room service is never better, but there is one thing that bothers me. From the day you are born all anyone ever tells you is: “Don’t trust the Daisy, they are a disgusting group of flora.” That’s all you hear, it’s engraved in your brain to hate the Daisy. To abhor the Daisy, to never, ever, ever be seen with a Daisy, unless you are inflicting harm onto said plant.
I hate this Garden. The pressure, the pain, the rough activities my father puts me through. To “toughen me up,” “make me a man,” because you never know when you’re gong to run into a rose. One thing to remember here, never, ever, ever, let a rose win.
Henry and Vinnie grew up in the same garden. Went to the same Park and were fed the same food and water combinations. Henry and Vinnie were mortal enemies, but Henry and Vinnie had never met.
Henry grew up in the sophisticated edge of the Garden. He always had the finest toys, the best schooling, and was constantly doted upon. The rich lifestyle of a rose is nothing short of amazing. Henry, though, wasn’t happy. He the first to bloom out of all of his peers. So he had no one to play with, no one to talk to. Henry was lonely. All day his father would send him out to practice his fighting skills.
“Just in case you run into one of those wretched Daisy plants, you have to know how to get rid of it.”
While Henry had never met a Daisy, he always did what he was told and never questioned his fathers point of view. He was constantly told the gruesome tale of how the Rose’s almighty leader was brutally slaughtered by a rogue Daisy. Never trust a Daisy.
Vinnie grew up in the roughest part of the garden, the side facing the River. He had to make his own toys; his mother home schooled him when she wasn’t working. The entire Daisy clan was left to fend for themselves since they were so far away from the sustenance spout. Where water would rain down every day, at exactly three o’clock. Since Vinnie also bloomed much faster than his brothers, his father would have him practice extra hard to pass the time.
“If ya ever pass a goll dang rose, ya gotta know how ta take care if it”
Vinnie was constantly practicing his fight, he almost wished he could find a rose so he could smash his petals in. He just wished that maybe, someday, his dad could tell him he was doing a good job he worked so hard but his dad never seemed to notice. All his dad would talk about was the horrific tale of how the Daisy’s Emperor was viciously killed by a rabid rose. Don’t associate with the Roses.
The most terrifying thing about the Garden is the giant silver pincers that are lowered from heaven. Two giant fearsome beasts that glint in the sunlight. No matter how much you fight there is no running and once you are chosen there is no going back. The sharp pinchers cut into your stem and take you away to a land that no one know about but the Lilacs, but no one likes to talk to the Lilacs.
It just so happens, along with growing up exceptionally fast, the boys were also extremely tall, and beautiful. Henry’s petals folded out so gracefully and were perfectly poised as if it took no effort for him to be beautiful. Vinnie was equally astounding, all of his petals were placed equally apart. And each one stood straight out from his yellow face, not one curled up to create that lopsided look most Daisies have to learn to live with.
Henry was picked while he was enjoying a good root massage from the earthworms. The giant Pincers came down out of nowhere and sliced into his strong stem. His father called out and tried to stop him from being taken. They tangled leaves, but Henry was given and extra tug and was pulled away.
“Represent us well my son!” His father cried.
“Don’ run into any roses while you’re out.” Vinnies father said halfheartedly as Vinnie was snatched up.
“ G’bye to you too Dad.” Vinnie sighed, not even bothering to fight, wherever he was going was a heck of a lot better than where he had been.
The boys were carried, in separate hands, to a large white building and laid side by side on a giant slab of some foreign substance, it was hard, cold, and felt incredibly unnatural.
“ROSE!” Vinnie cried in fury upon spotting his companion.
“I am called Henry if you-“ Henry stopped as he spotted the unmistakable white petals of a daisy. “How dare you defile my aura with your presence!”
Vinnie scoffed, “Yea pretty boy, I chose to be here” Henry was about to retort when suddenly a large purple bunch of lilacs landed right in between them.
“Hello fellow travelers!” A thousand voices spoke at once.
Henry and Vinnie sighed. Lilacs were one of the most annoying plants to talk to. They insisted on all speaking at once; unless they differed in opinions then you cant make out a single thing they say.
“What appears to be on the menu today?” five hundred voice asked.
“It appears to be the vase treatment dear brothers.” The rest called back.
“No, not the vase treatment!”
“Indeed dear brothers, ‘tis a sad fate for us.”
“Well it’s a heck of a lot better than being smashed in a book.” The plant shuddered.
“Cheer up brothers, hey, Knock Knock!
“Who’s there?”
“Interrupting cow!”
“Interup-“
“MOO!” the plant quivered as a thousand voices giggled.
“Why that is entirely improbable, you all share the same train of thought, so you obviously knew where that joke was going. How could it possibly still be amusing?” Henry frowned.
“You sir, are no fun at all.” The Lilacs cried in a false English accent, “Poo on your thoughts.”
“But I-“
“POO!” the Lilacs glared at Henry. He gave up and sat back on the cold surface.
The Lilacs continued on with they’re conversation. While Vinnie and Henry shot threatening glares at one another. Soon all of the flowers were gathered and placed in a delicate vase the gleamed in the sunshine. Henry was pleased with his new living quarters, but was still just as disgusted with his roommates. Vinnie curled his lip at the shining casement, his lip curled even tighter upon spotting that he was right next to that damned rose. The lilacs were still chattering about everything. The constant strum of voices all blended into one long droning hum after a while it reminded the two a bit of that machine that goes around cutting off the grass heads. Which is nice, grass much like the Lilacs are constantly talking, but never about the same thing their conversations are pure nonsense. So it went on and Vinnie and Henry continued with their threats.
“I could kill you right now you know.” Henry glared
“Then why haven’t you?” Vinnie shot back
“I’m still trying to figure out how I’m going to do it, slow and painful, or quick and easy?”
“ Wow, I’ve never heard that before, I thought you went to Private Schools, don’t they teach you more creative ways to threaten plants? Even the Lilacs are getting tired of your empty threats.”
“No we aren’t! Please do go on! And do tell, what started this feud?” the thousand voices chirped, as all the purple faces turned and gazed at the boys with intense interest.
“His ancestor killed our Leader!” both boys shouted pointing at each other, they paused, could they possibly have heard what the other had said?. The Lilacs doubled over in squeaky laughter, their tiny petals quivering in humor.
“You mean to tell us? The fight that has taken over the entire garden for years, the fight that has plant taking sides, the fight that has plants making bets over who is going to win, the fight that no one wants to get in the middle of, is over a misconception? Oh that’s silly. I bet they weren’t even killed, I bet they were just picked, like us. You clan folk are always so dramatic.”
Henry and Vinnie weren’t listening; they were staring incredulously at each other. Their entire lives they had the gruesome story of the death of their leader drilled into their heads. Now, that idea was shattered burned to a crisp, beaten to a pulp and lay quivering at their feet. Neither knew what to say, or do. So they did neither and just sat there thinking.
The Lilacs were now so amused by the boy’s reactions the started to laugh even harder. They leaned back over the rim of the glass, still giggling, and promptly fell backwards.
“Hey!” Henry cried, both he and Vinnie scrambled to reach the falling foliage. Henry snagged a leaf, and Vinnie grabbed the stem. “Ok pull on three, one, two, three.” And with a giant grunt the boys hefted the Lilacs back into the vase, and set them down with a huff.
“Heh, ah, well, um..” Henry started
“I’m Vinnie.” Vinnie said holding out a leaf.
“Hello Vinnie, I’m Henry,” He said taking his leaf,
“Hello Henry and Vinnie, I’m stuck upside down.” The upside down Lilacs cried. The boys laughed and righted the bustling bouquet.
