When Flowers Bloom✔

3

That night I was awoken to some strange whistling sound. I sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from my eyes, blinking like crazy to try and see more clearly. Across the room was the large window, open and letting the lights from the city in. I looked right at the newest decoration on my desk in front of the window. The flower was so delicate looking in the moonlight, the way it stood so tall and it seemed to glow. I was sure I was just tired still from being woken up by the strange whistling sound. I got up and stood there in my room above the flower shop, still rubbing the sleep from my eyes. The sound came again, this time a soft hum filled my ears.

"Hmmm Hmm... Hmm Hmm Hum Hmm Hmmm mmmmm~" The humming was too soft to tell where it was coming from. I decided to move around my room. I started to my right, moving by my dresser and closet door. The hum seemed to get so soft I couldn't hear it, it couldn't have been coming from here.

I shuffled along the wood floor, my blue and white striped pajama pants dragged on the floor, my long white shirt lifted as I ran both hands over my face in an attempt to wake myself up more. As I crossed in front of my desk by the window I heard it more clearly again. Louder too, so I got close to my desk and looked around. Just the flower, pens, paper... nothing that would make a – oh!

"The window.." I muttered in realization that the sound must be coming from outside. I leaned over my desk and accidentally bumped the flower, luckily I caught it.

"AH!!!" The scream caught me off guard.

"What the heck?" I looked around my room wondering where it came from, the flower in it's pot still in my hand.

"I'm gonna die!" I heard a soft voice yell. "I didn't want this ride! Hey old man! Let me be!" The voice yelled and my attention was suddenly drawn to the flower. It was glowing a bit brighter, suddenly it's lavender and blue colored petals folded down. My eyes grew wide as I realized a set of eyes from a very tiny person were staring right at me. I then noticed she wasn't wearing clothes, her long hair was covering her well enough though...

"Ah!" She yelled. "You're not the old man!"

"You're naked!" I yelled back and set the flower down then backed away from the desk. My hands were up covering my eyes.

"Well yes, clearly I'm naked... silly. Oh. Right, humans don't like that." She spoke. "Hey! You! Guy person. Where's the old man?" She asked. I couldn't look in the direction of the flower. "Yoohooo! Flower boy! I am speaking to you." She called again but I still refused to look at her.

"Hmph, you're mean!" She yelled and I uncovered my face.

"I am not! It's just... not appropriate to stare when a woman is naked... even if you are a very... VERY tiny woman." I replied to her. I couldn't see her expression but I did watch as two petals were pulled from the flower. I kept my distance, not sure if this was a dream or reality.

"Give me a minute." She yelled so I could hear her across the room. I wiped my palms on my thighs to get the sweat off. I was nervous, I had every reason to be. I didn't ask to be woken up by some naked little woman living in a flower...

I think I need sleep, and maybe less soju...

"You can look now strange person!" She yelled. I looked at her and took in her makeshift petal dress. At least she was covered now I guess. "This is the best I could do.. so.. who are you?" She asked. I didn't want to get too close so I kept my distance.

"I- My name is Hoseok." I replied.

"Ho-seok. Cute!" She giggled.

"Yeah.. um, and you are?" I asked her.

"Oh. I'm Petal!" She cheered loudly.

"Petal, well that's a cute name. Um, Petal.. what are you?" I asked her curiously.

"I'm a Petal blossom of course!" She giggled again.

"A... what?" I asked.

"So where's the old man?" She asked, looking around. "This isn't his place." She commented.

"I, no. This is my apartment- well, my room. The old man, he gave this flower to me. I didn't think much of it, other than a nice gesture from a crabby old man." I answered.

"Yeah he is crabby." Petal giggled again. "He's never offered me off before, wonder if he got tired of me. That's so not fair if he's already exhausted of me. It's only been like .... 22 years? Something like that." She kept giggling, like all of this was amusing. However, I was not that amused. She was a tiny person and I didn't know what to think about this whole situation.

"I um... I really do need to get some more sleep.. I uh, work downstairs so Um, yeah I don't really know what to do here..." I said nervously. The little woman smiled and nodded, she was settling herself back into her flower cocoon, only she'd used some of the petals so it looked off.

"I get it, you need rest. I need rest too. You think it's all a dream- Old guy left me with you for a reason, maybe after a good night of rest we can figure it out." She giggled and curled up, covering herself with one of the remaining petals. I sighed and climbed back into bed, snuggling down under my covers and closing my eyes. I let my mind wander off into nothing, just the darkness of my mind.

When I awoke the next morning, it was to the sound of my alarm followed by some whimsical singing. I jolted up out of bed and rubbed my eyes clear. Once I could see I noticed I was alone in my room, my bedroom door was slightly ajar. After getting up and making sure everything was still as it was.. the flower, now minus some of it's petals was still standing tall and proud though. The light from the sun was barely shining in through my window as I opened my door and stepped into the small living space.

My eyes widened as I noted the singing again, as well as a pan of eggs that were being cooked on my stove, some sausages in another pan and the tiny woman from what I thought was my dream was actually on my counter, little wings flitting rapidly at her back as she cut some fresh strawberries.

"I.." I began to speak but her eyes caught mine and she giggled cutely.

"Well good morning sleepy head! It's nearly eight in the morning. I was going to wake you but I don't know how you like to be woken up so I just let you sleep." She spoke with a smile as she continued to slice some more.

"You... you made all this?" I asked her. She laughed and put the knife in the sink.

"Of course, silly. You know, your apartment lacks a woman's touch- so I'm guessing you're a bachelor. We're gonna have to fix that." She added and I gave her an odd look.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused on so many levels.. I mean, why was there a fairy thing in my apartment? Was this real? Or is this a dream?

"You're very confused and confusing- I'll let you eat first." She replied as she moved over to the pans, she made sure the eggs were nice and scrambled, the sausage was done. I noticed then that she had toast on a plate awaiting as well. I watched her as she moved the eggs then sausages from their pans to the plate. She placed the cut up fruit around the edges and slid the plate along the counter to near where I was standing. She smiled and fluttered off, to somewhere, I have no clue.