Phytoremediation

Colour makes us hungry, hunger makes us human

Tw// meanie says mean things like slurs

Basil left his computer, and picked up a pair of small shears. He had to water and prune his plants.

Whenever he had to do pruning, it reminded Basil of his grandmother. His grandma was the one who taught him how to properly prune flowers.

Basil felt a tug at his chest. He tried to ignore it, his plants needed him. This was no time to cry.

The watering can by the door was near empty, so Basil went into the kitchen to refill it.

The watering can clanged as the water hit the bottom. The clanging soon gave way to some splashing sounds, as Basil stared at the can with an empty expression.

Basil turned off the tap, and picked up the heavy can with his left hand, and walked to the door.

He awkwardly opened it with the shears in his hand, and walked carefully down his front steps.

Usually pruning flowering plants like these was reserved for autumn and spring, but these plants were new, and  needed pruning for brighter and fuller flowers.

Basil studied the first of his plants. He cut off half of the tulip's leaves. The stem was still growing a bit.

Basil stared at the next flower, a sunflower, or just its stalk, since it wasn't done growing. Basil cut off a dried out leaf, and moved along.

He skipped a few of the ones that hadn't finished growing in leaves, and continued. Basil noticed a tulip was budding, and looked at it closely.

Everything was going well with its growth, but on the stem near the bud there was a parasitic growth. A plant parasite that would attack the cells, and rapidly multiply.

Basil carefully positioned his shears, and snipped off the growth. He then grabbed it and threw it as far away from his plants as possible. Basil turned back to the flower.

The bud was hanging off of the stem. It then hit the dirt silently. Basil began to tear up.

Why do I always manage to ruin everything.

Basil ignored the tears falling from his eyes, as he proceeded to his next flower. He trimmed a leaf, and then decided he didn't need to do any more pruning today.

He watered the plants carefully, and tried to give each plant an equal amount. The extra water provided by his tears were likely appreciated silently by the budding flowers.

Basil wiped his eyes after he finished watering the plants. He took a deep breath, trying hide his tears, and stepped back inside. Basil placed the watering can next to the door again, and took off his shoes.

He paused, and then put his shoes back on. There wasn't much he wanted to do inside right now, and he didn't want Polly to see him like this.

"I'm going to go for a walk, Polly!" Basil shouted.

"Have a good walk, hon!" Polly shouted back.

Basil left the front door again, and began traversing the sidewalks. The cramped together houses of a pseudo-suburbia quickly gave way to city blocks in one direction, while the other just seemed to be more houses. Basil decided to venture towards the untested waters of suburban living on the edge of Nearburgh.

The houses began spreading apart, letting side yards exist. A weird moyai head was in the front yard of one house, making Basil giggle at the absurdity of a meter-high stone head sitting in front of someone's house.

A park was soon in view, sitting along a river that soon flowed along one side of the road. It wasn't one of those kids parks with swings and a climber, but more of a bench and big white gazebo with tons of chipped paint type of park.