Bluebell SSS Prompt No. 5 ~ Adventure In Plantsville
"Do you think plants have feelings ?" Four-year-old Sara Jane blurted , eyes glued to the miniature pot plant . Granny Megs paused , looked up from the paper she was reading . She was lost for words !
"What do YOU think ?" she answered . It was best this way , since the child would arrive at her own conclusion , one way or the other.
"Well , I was just thinking … plants are living creatures , aren't they gran ?" Her little head rested on her arms , eyes still glued to the plant .
"Yes , they are . Plants are a living and growing part of nature which is God's creation ." Hopefully , that answer should put an end to that !
"How do they stay alive ? Do they breathe ?" Her little brow puckered in concentration .
"They breathe but not in the same manner as we breathe ," Granny Megs put down the paper and proceeded to leave the room .
"But where are their lungs ?" Her little index finger moved up and down against the leaflet . There was no reply . Granny had already left . She looked around and sighed . Then she rolled her eyes upward .
"Why the sigh ?" A tiny voice responded . She looked around . The room was empty .
"Over here … in front of you …"
"Where , I can't see you …" Her little head darted from left to right.
"The plant , silly !" The volume had risen a notch ."And give the old lady a break , would you ?"
The magical voice seemed to come from the plant in front of her .
Her eyes opened wider , a priceless expression on her face . "You CAN talk ! I knew it ! I just knew it !"
"Of course I can . I'm alive , remember ?"
She giggled .
"And I DO have feelings . You are one smart young lady ."
"So how do you breathe ? Do you have a family ? And a home ? Where do you come from ? Do you have a best friend ?" The string of questions tumbled out , one after the other .
"Of course I do . Would you like to meet my best friend ?"
She nodded vigorously .
"Why don't you come with me . I will show you everything !"
"Just close your eyes and concentrate on my voice ….."
Sara Jane closed her eyes . The tiny lilting voice was hypnotic and mesmerising …… she felt herself drift ………….
Check out the Bluebell Short Story Slam prompt at http://bluebellbooks.blogspot.com/2011/07/thursday-short-story-slam-week-5.html
Loved the story!
Thank you A.B.
you have captured childhood curiosity very beautifully.
imagination is everything, well done. 😉
Childhood curiosity is a wonderful quality ~ adults should try it more often … thanks Ji !
I still talk to plants. Very cute. : )
It’s good for them ~ and at least they don’t talk back … thanks for popping in !
Cute story!
Thanks Shelly ! 🙂
This is a wonderful story!
Thank you Mindlovemisery !
Enchanting read, and like you, I believe they are alive. If they could talk as we do, then we'd really be in trouble fot all of our misuse of Mother Natures's gifts.
A lovely read, thank you
Yes , they are living , breathing , growing …
Talking plants ? frightening prospect … us humans would have a lot to answer for …
I was thinking the other day about the trees in my yard, what if they could hear us, and feel our hands on their bark…this was a nice write.
That’s quite a sobering thought … thanks for the visit !
That was sweet. I like questions/inquiry; it's the best way to learn at your own pace. She got her answer, in dreams.
That’s the beauty of kids – they are curious and love to explore/experiment … they have such enquiring minds !
I love this cute story. I so like the little girl in your story pretty sweet.
Thank you Chimnese – I gave the little girl a vivid imagination which is so typical of young kids …
I had similar thoughts when I saw the prompt. You've crafted a lovely scene!
The picture definitely lent itself to the creation of a curious little girl with an enquiring mind ! Thanks Nico !
Oh how sweet… and I wonder where the girl would arrive… 🙂
In Plantsville , of course … what a silly question … *giggles* 🙂
How wonderful is that..? smiles
I wanted to include a ‘feel-good’ quality in the story because the prompt did mention “Childrens Literature” 🙂
Hello,
wonderful story here.
expecting your book review to be up at the blog today, within 12 hours, hope all is well, let me know if you need help. cheers.
Thank you Bluebell 🙂
Hi Mish,
I just went through the story and felt, " Interesting! Oh! is it over, it could have been still longer". Beautiful, lively expressions.
Thanks for the kind words … and yes , I agree that it feels like the beginning of the story … I will have to re-visit it and try to complete the story …
why is it that older we grow the more the constant questioning of the childish mind annoys us? Is it because we miss being that innocent? Because we have no patience left? What are we doing that's so very important that we can't spend a few patient minutes answering a child's questions?
Good work, mish.
These are very good questions – I think it’s because we grew up in an era (well , I did ) where the adults said that “children should be seen and not heard” whereas today , kids are encouraged to speak their minds …
All it takes to boost a child’s spirit is to answer his simple questions – it does wonders for his self-confidence !
I loved this. Ji asked me to do the Thursday Author Tribute and I chose it, Michelle. :0)
Thanks Victoria … I’m a bit confused though … Author Tribute … ?
Whoops! Not author tribute but "Story of the Week."
That makes more sense … 🙂
I feel honoured to be chosen from so many awesome participants … thanks Victoria and thank you to Bluebell Books for providing such a wonderful platform for writers/bloggers to showcase their work !
Wow! It is a lovely story.
Keep writing. =)
Thanks for visiting my blog and for the words of encouragement !
enjoyed reading. love the way you captured the heart and thoughts of the child.
I’m glad you enjoyed it , Rick – thanks for popping in .
Amazing story Mish 🙂
Loved reading it.
The curiosity of the child compleltely captured in your beautiful words!
Thanks Umesh – I’m so glad that you enjoyed the story … I loved writing it ! 🙂