Flowers are my only friends {Lotus} [Open]

[plantix]

I’m happy that she likes the flowers I picked for her. She examines them closely as I smile at her reaction. I love these flowers too; I actually collected some of their seeds a few years ago so that a small bush would grow beside my house. Right now, most of them have fully bloomed and are splitting, showing their white center.

She turns to me and asks the question if lotus flowers are my favourite flowers. So I reply “Yeah. Lotus flowers are one of my favourites. Foxgloves, Bleeding hearts and Wallflowers are my others, but mainly if their color is pink.”

The reason for me liking them is not only for their names and beautiful appearance but they also seem symbolic for me.

Lotus flowers grow in very dirty and unattractive conditions, that being a bog, but they show their flowers so that they make the area happier. They don’t live to make themselves glorified; they do it for the area they live in. Not only do they look beautiful, their roots are also sweet and have a potato texture.

Foxgloves are beautiful, but their considered poisonous. They are so poisonous, that it’s dangerous to touch them. Fox gloves are one of the most willing flowers I’ve talked to; they have sad stories about almost every animal avoiding them. I talk to them to give them comfort when they are sad.

Bleeding hearts and Wallflowers are kind of like a reflection of me. When someone says wall flower though, they usually think of someone who doesn’t talk and stays on the side, being ignored. The wall flower I’m talking about is the Erysimum flowers. Like their name and definition, they are being ignored by most, but live their life happily. I am a wallflower, and I am someone with a bleeding heart.

“And, what’s your favourite flower?” I ask her, in response to my answered question.

[Oogie Boogie]

She laughs again. Just in joy of having someone to talk to finally. Someone who doesn't see her as a mistake or a burden or a freak. Her favorite flower?

"Marigolds. Other than that I like roses and orchids. But marigolds are my favorite. Ba calls them 'summer gold'."

A vague smile spreads across Jay's face as she looks out at the sun. The sun was washing the whole field a bright gold. The smile became wider, as she remembered something happy from her turbulent childhood.

Her Ba was carrying her on his broad shoulders. Jay was fussing with his thick black hair and the two of them were laughing. Suddenly, Ba fell back into the grass. They tackled each other playfully, Jay trying to pin her father. His brown skin matched her own, his big brown eyes did as well. She was always told she had so much of Ba in her. She was glad. Her Ba picked a marigold and placed behind her ear. Jay just kept on laughing....

Her eyes focused back and blinked rapidly. Her grin was still intact. It even reached her eyes.

"What is your home like now?" Jay asked.

[plantix]

‘My home?’ I ask in my mind. When I think of my home, I think of a hut that has four rooms, one room for me, another for Mama and Papa, a washroom and the other room is used for everything else. Then I remembered what I did to it just two years ago.

“My house is kind of small, having only 4 rooms, but it has a lot of flowers on and around it. I planted most of them two years ago, and they bloom every year. The flowers close to the door are Larkspur’s, Narcissus and Poppy flowers. They grow in patches. Around the walls and roof are Passions flowers, Sweet Peas and Morning glories.”

“Around the house there are; Bleeding Hearts, Straw flowers, Bachelors Button, Candytuft, Snapdragons, Fox Gloves and Wall flowers. I got all the seeds in this field.” I smile and look at Jay.

I remember that I grow another flower that I grew “Oh, and a small rose bush near my window.” I tell her because now I know it’s her favourite flower.

[Oogie Boogie]

His house sounds beautiful. She tried to picture it.

Millions and millions of blooms all over, surrounding, covering everything. A fortress of flowers. A small house dwarfed by the lovely buds. Not too big, but well-constructed.

That was something she'd want to draw too. Jay loved the way it looked in her mind. It reminded her of her home, just a bit. Maybe not in appearance but definitely in the warm feeling it left in her heart. While there were bad memories associated with it and few good, the bad were far outweighed by the significance of the good.

"My home is essentially an old shack. It's got one room and a loft. I sleep up in the loft, my Ba sleeps in the one room. There's a little crick that runs out back, which is where we do our washing," she smiled.

It wasn't a bad place. She loved her loft.

"We have a kitchen and a living room. We have a low table and a few cushions in front of a TV and a bookcase packed with books. That's where we eat." she continued.

She remembered a lot of meals with her Mama and Ba. Some of them weren't very pleasant, but she has always been glad she got to sit down to a meal with all her family.

"My room is seperated from the stairs with a thick gold curtain. The whole loft is filled with my pictures and art supplies. I have a big oak desk in the corner with a big chair in the corner."

Jay loved that desk. Ba had made it for her. He was quite the carpenter. He'd also made her a small chest at the end of her bed for her clothes and other special things of hers. She recalled what sat on top of that chest.

"At the end of my bed, I have a big chest full of my art supplies and clothes. On top of the chest, is a picture of my mother."

Her eyes clouded a bit. Jay's smile slipped slightly. She shook herself out of it.

"Maybe you could come see some time?"

[plantix]

The description of her house, it reminded me of living in my house when my three siblings were still alive. Mama and Papa would sleep in their room, Narcissus, Larkspur and Poppy shared my current room, and I slept in the multi-purpose room. I was happy to be able to sleep alone and not with the three. The loft she mentions sounds like it could be her room, decorated with her art.

In a sense, she has made that house her own by putting her art on it. In the same way, I decorated my house with flowers.

I smile at her offer and respond “Yeah, that would be nice. And maybe you can see my house some time too?” I ask.

I remember that I just live a few minutes from here, about a twelve minute walk. “I just live over there” I say pointing in the direction of my house. My house seemed to be on the outskirts of where houses should normally be. I found this as my personal citadel since it is conveniently located near my house.

“How far do you live?” I ask her.

[Oogie Boogie]

"I'd like that," Jay murmured.

She longed to see the house in bloom, hoping it was as gorgeous as she imagined. She wondered if he pictured her house similarly. Did he think it a paradise? A safe haven? His house is a twelve minute walk.

"Mine's a ten minute walk, there, over the hill." she said, pointing in the general direction.

All of a sudden, she hoped her room was in some form of order. Ba would probably be out shopping in town and wouldn't be home until morning.

"Just so you know, Ba won't be home 'til morning. Which house do you want to go to first?"

[plantix]

‘She lives close to here too?’ I say in my mind. I think of seeing Jay on a daily basis; her walking over to my house, or me walking to hers. She lives so close; I wonder how we didn’t meet before hand. I hear her offer of going to one of our houses and I give a soft smile.

“We could go-” I starts a response, but I stop myself when I remember what Mama said just after I left.

‘Be back in time for supper!’ Mama says in my mind.

I let out a gasp, and then I look at Jay to tell her “I forgot! Mama said I had to be in time for supper. Maybe we can go to my house first and you could eat with us?” I offer her.

Mama and Papa would be surprised that I brought a guest with me, but they would be happy that I made a friend. They’d probably welcome her with open arms. Aside from that, she said that her ‘Ba’ won’t be at her house until the next morning. So I guess that this plan should work, right?

I did want to see what her house looked like. Actually, it was mainly her art that I wanted to see.

[Oogie Boogie]

Almost time for supper? Jay hadn't been thinking about eating. She hadn't eaten since early this morning. She felt a gnawing hunger in her belly.

"Yeah. We should probably go to yours. Wouldn't want you in trouble."

Definitely not. It wouldn't do at all to not be able to see her first friend. Particularly when they've only just met. And she didn't want it to be her fault. She got steadily up to her feet and held out her hand to him.

"C'mon. We better hurry, if we want to be on time." she murmured, smiling lightly.

[plantix]

I reach for her hand and I stand up with her support.

“Yeah, let’s go.” I say to her with a light expression. We start to walk towards my home and I start to think what Mama and Papa would say about my unexpected visitor. The worse outcome I can think of, is that they would warn me not to being guests without permission from them. Then again, they know that I don’t have much friends and they like children, so they’d probably be happy if they had guests.

As we start to walk in the taller grasses that lead to my house, I tell her what Mama and Papa are like “You’ll like my Mama and Papa. They’re very nice and they like to have guests.”

The grass is knee-high but they have no bugs. It tickles my legs when I walk past them, but on hot days they scratch my skin. I see the grass that I flattened to get here and we walk through them to avoid skin irritation.

“Mama was already home when I left, and Papa should be there by now.”

[Oogie Boogie]

The flowers bobbed gently in the slight breeze blowing through the meadow, tickling her cheeks and ruffling her hair. Vexed by the disorder of it, she tossed her long locks over shoulder and tied them back with a bit of ribbon. Jay liked listening to Lo speak. Specifically, she liked hearing about him. He had a very nice voice; soft and deep. She thought he might be a good singer.

"Do you have any hobbies? Aside from planting?" she wondered aloud.

Her hands hung at her side, swaying as they walked. Now that they were standing, she could study him more. She looked at him appraisingly out of the corner of her eye. He was tall. At least taller than she, though this wasn't unusual. She liked that he was close enough to her own height that she could look easily enough into his eyes.

"Do you think you could help me plant a garden at my house? My front yard is nearly devoid of life."

[plantix]

Jay asks me if I have any hobbies aside from gardening, which was my obvious hobby. I have to think about it before a moment before I give an answer.

“Aside from planting, I like to cook, make crafts and sing.” I say in response to her question. I showed her my crafting skills with that daisy bracelet I made. Cooking was something Mama taught me to do when I was young, and I enjoy making food, specifically deserts though. And singing was a talent I got from my Mama. She would sing me lullabies when I was afraid of my troubles. I really like to sing because, my Mama did, and the flowers seemed to be happier if I sung to them.

I smile and think of a song Mama sang some time ago.

Her next question brings my attention, and I quickly respond “Yeah. That’d be great. I have a drawer full of different seeds that you could plant. I can pick hardy flowers for you to grow so they won’t die from drying or over watering.”

I’m about to ramble about what how to take care of flowers, when I see my house coming into view when we reach the top of a small hill. From here the first thing you’d notice is the pink, yellow and white flowers surrounding my house. It seems to be a small circle of flowers that surround my house. There is a clearing though at the entrance of my house and thin path of grass to get to the door. The entrance has purple larkspurs which stand out above the other flowers surrounding them.

My house, or hut rather, is coated from top to bottom with vine flowers. Instead of having a few green vines on a brown house that you’d find in a decorated house, mine is a green house with cracks of brown which show underneath the vines, leafs and flowers.

The blue Morning glories that surround the walls of my house are closed for now. As their name suggests, they bloom only in the morning, and then they close at night. The Passion flowers have just started to bloom their white, light purple and radiant purple blossoms. The blue and pink flowers of my Sweet peas have fully bloomed their butterfly-like blossoms. When the wind blows, they look like real butterflies flapping their wings.

The lights seem to be on inside and I imagine Mama and Papa eating right now. I remember that even inside my house, a few flower vines have come in through the cracks to show us their blossoms. In a sense, you could say that my house is littered with flowers.

“There’s my house!” I tell her excitedly as we walk closer to my house.

[Oogie Boogie]

Watercolors, Jay thinks immeadiately, I'll use water colors.

The house differed little from how she'd pictured it. Literally, a flowered fortress. There was scarcely any room for the house to be seen. She almost liked it better that way. All the houses in District 11, hers included, looked so drab and dilapidated. It was nice how his home seemed to be made of flowers. Jay had a sudden image of him swinging on a hammock woven from the daisies he seemed so clever with. The thought amused her and a huge grin broke across her face.

"It's beautiful," she whispered.

Jay thought of him perched high among his flowers, singing sweetly to the mockingjays. That'd be something to add to her growing list of drawing ideas. Maybe an oil painting? She'd have to go into town for that. She was out of oil paints.

"Will you sing for me?"

[plantix]

“Thanks.” I say with a smile at her compliment.

As we start to walk closer to my house, she asks me to start sing a song. I almost smile at her request. I’d gladly sing a song for her, but what to sing? I think for a moment and come up with a segment of a song that Mama sang me.

“Sure. I’ll sing, but we’re going to be at my house soon, so I’ll only sing a bit to you.” I say. I ready myself to start singing, hoping that it won’t sound bad.

“We're both escapists, oh
Into this useless mess of raging emotion
Tongue-tied, I whisper your name
And you recognize what motivates
You're self-sanctified

So sad, we act like we're fine
When we're really not, really not fine
And you, you wanna end where we began
And I will not believe that this is the end
Of those nights and golden fields
Where you burn off my resistant shields

And it won't get me down
And it won't get me down
It won't get me down
But you better go now
And I won't move my face
And you won't leave a trace
In this weird goodbye today”

This song reminds me of something sad, but Mama sad It a lot. I wonder where she heard this song and what instruments were played with these lyrics. But by the time I finish my song we are almost in front of my door. Here is a closer view of the flowers that surrounded my house and the detail that is put into every flower. I watered them for the day and tended them, so they should still be healthy. The Sweet pea flowers flutter their ‘wings’ as a small breeze passes by.

I come inside first to be welcomed by my parents.

“Welcome home Lotus” Papa greets me. “You’re a little late. What kept you laddy?”

“Papa, Mama, I made a new friend. This is Jaylin.” I say excitedly showing off my new friends.

[ooc: this is the song that Lotus was singing www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELTAw8Am4bs from 1:50 to 3:05. Also imagine it in a deeper guy voice.]

[Oogie Boogie]

All she could think was that she was right. His voice was beautiful. It was low and sweet, clearly enunciating every word. Jay was lost in the world of that entrancing music. Every word felt real to her.

"Wow," she muttered, barely audible.

They were almost to the door. The closeness of the flowers brought her back from the musical world. The smell of them all gave her a light-headed, dizzy feeling. Almost like being spun around and falling in the grass. She inhaled the scent of it all, drinking it in. Lo was at the door now, opening it. He was introducing her to his Papa.

"Hello, sir." she said shyly, holding out her hand.

Dear lord, she hoped her reputation hadn't already condemned her in the sight of her friend's parents.

[plantix]

At first, Mama and Papa looked shocked… actually, that’s not the word. They looked surprised to see that I made a friend and brought her back. A wide smile spread across their face, a smile similar to mine. Mama and Papa said I looked just like him when he was my age.

Papa gave a short, hardy laugh before reaching out his hands to hers. I remember feeling his hands once, it was full of calices around his palm and fingers from the work he does in the field. I wonder how Jay felt at this moment. Maybe she was uncomfortable? I know that it’s my parents’ best interest to welcome our guest as much as me.

“Well come on in. We’re about to have dinner.” Mama says and gives her a warm smile.

“I’m going to get a bowl and plate for her. You can sit beside me and Mama” I say quickly. The table was small square table meant for only four people. It was very simple and stable, with four mahogany chairs around it. I try to make out what Mama prepared for dinner; it’s a salad of dandelion leafs and flowers, dandelion root soup, and baked lotus root with mint tea.

I get a wooden cup, plate, bowl, fork and spoon for Jay. Mama and Papa were sitting next to each other and enjoying the company. Even the Passion flowers that have seeped into my house seemed to be watching Jay and admiring her.

I sit on my side of the table with my plates and cutlery set out. Mama tells us all “I wish I knew we would’ve had company, I would have made something a little more special.”

Aside from me liking cooking, Mama likes to do it too. I bring her spices that she likes to work with in her soups and cooking. She usually cooks for me and Papa because she wants to and she likes to.