///note: this was a random story that hit me about 11pm & took an hour & a half to write XD not one of my best works, but i still published it//
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Once upon a time there was a young girl who lived with her family in a house outside the kingdom. It was a simple house, no lavish carvings on the doors or windowsills, no butlers or maids. Only a few farm hands to help out. The young girl loved the farm so much, but often found trying times within her family. He mother was irritable and seemed to he mad all the time, while her brother kept to himself in his room all day, only coming out to eat at mealtime. Her father was quite a different storye, however. He was extremely strict and you had to be careful what you said to him. One wrong word and you were sleeping in the barn for the night. Still, the girl loved her misfit family for they were the only family she had. She had friends of course, lots of them too, and she loved each one. But she only had one family.
One day, while she was out walking in the woods, she came upon a peculiar plant growing in the middle of the path. She stooped down to get a closer look and saw a single green bud growing from the top of the stem.
"Odd," she said aloud. "Normally flowering plants have many buds, but this only has one."
Intrigued by this rare find, she ran home and got a pot big enough for a squirrel and a trowel, and ran back to the plant on the path. She filled her pot a bit less than halfway with dirt and looked back at the plant.
"I'm going to put you into this pot, okay?" She told the plant. She knew it didnt understand her, but she always talked to the flowers and bushes around her house.
As carefully as a girl could, she dug up the plant with her trowel, placed it into the pot, and covered it with more dirt.
"That wasn't so bad now, was it?" She said, smiling. She got to her feet and wiped her hands on her dress, then picked up the pot and trowel and headed home.
Once she got there the girl found a spot in her room that was full of sunlight and set the plant down. She poured some water into the pot, thinking that the plant must be thirsty from its long trip.
"I hope you like this place," the girl said. "It's not as beautiful as the forest, but I'll take you outside again tomorrow."
And that's exactly what she did. For months the young girl cared for the plant, watering it and setting it in the warm sun, talking to it about the wonderful things she saw in the forest. But as the months went by the girl began to notice how the bud on the plant hadn't changed at all.
"What a strange plant you are," she said to it. "But I'm sure that your flower must be the most beautiful anybody has ever seen!!"
And with that she vowed to continue taking care of the plant until it bloomed.
Winter came, and with the winter came snow, freezing nights, and little sunlight. Everyday the girl would wrap the pot in spare blankets, trying to keep it warm and alive. She gave it warm water and whenever there was any sunlight at all she would place then pot directly in it. She loved this precious plant, even if it didn't have a flower or fruit. She knew it would blossom one day and that day would be extraordinary.
Winter passed and spring came. The world was born anew again and this time there seemed to be more vibrant colors than the girl had ever seen. This time when she went out into the forest she brought her plant with her and showed it all her favorite places. The waterfall, the violet patch, and the old oak tree with the owl nest in it. She spent all day in the forest, carrying around her special plant.
One day while in the forest the young girl found a herd of deer. This was the most incredible thing she had seen in quite awhile. She was so intrigued that she began inching closer to the herd from her hiding place among the bushes. She slowed her breathing and placed each foot carefully so as to not alarm the creatures. But as fate would have it, she tripped on an upturned root and fell out into the small clearing where the deer were grazing. Her pot dropped a few feet away from her, thankfully not breaking. Unfortunately though, her fall had alerted the buck of the herd and it began running towards her. She scrambled to her feet and dove for her plant before the buck could smash it to pieces. But she was too late and the shatter she heard echoed in her own heart.
She knelt next to the remains of her precious plant in despair. Frantically she began filling her shirt with dirt and placed the plant in it with its stem leaning against her stomach then covered its roots with more dirt. She hurried home as fast as her legs would carry her, trying not to trip again or spill any dirt.
She got home and went straint for the shed. Finding another squirrel-sized pot, she carefully poured the dirt and plant into it then got some water and pour that in to, then sat down heavily on a nearby bench. A few moments passed where the girl just stared at her plant, wondering if it would survive, longing for it to bloom. She held her face in her hands and sobbed all night. Nothing could soothe her broken heart, not the soft lullaby of the wind through the trees, nor the chirping crickets in the grass. Eventually she cried herself to sleep with her head resting on the table next to the plant. The moon shone its bright light through the open window of the shed, illuminating the them both. A cool breeze rustled the leaves of the plant. Suddenly, it began to open.....
The girl awoke the next morning with a tear stained face. Her first thought was what to do with her dead plant, until she saw it. Over night it bad blossomed into the most beautiful flower that ever existed. It had streaks of purple mixed with red, orange, and blue eminating from the center out towards the petals. She caresses its petals lovingly. It looked just like a sunset. Only, you can't hold a sunset the girl thought. But i can hold this one. This was indeed the most beautiful flower she had ever seen and she made another promise to it.
"Never shall I leave you in the sun to wither and die, or give you too much water to drown. I shall protect you from any living thing that may want to harm you. This is what I promise to you. Always."
