Once upon a time in a quaint English countryside, there was a lovely little garden filled with beautiful flowers of all kinds. There were Tulips and Carnations, Orchids and Daffodils, and plenty others of all shapes and sizes. They all lived together in a peaceful community that was in full bloom.
One day, the most prominent family in the garden, the Roses were out taking in the spring air. Bud, the eldest son was testing out his new set of thorns on some pesky caterpillars when he happened to notice that something was different. At first he did not pay much attention, but then he saw that a new family had just been planted in the bed across the way. Curious, he stretched his stem towards them to get a closer look. His mother noticed this and decided to investigate.
“Bud, what are you doing, dear?” she asked. “Oh,” he replied, “I'm just getting a look at the family that moved in next door.” Mrs. Rose glanced over at the new arrivals. “They look very nice,” Bud said, still straining to catch a glimpse. “Yes, I believe they are a likable bunch,” Mrs. Rose stated. “How do you know?” Bud asked.
“Ivy told me,” his mother replied. “She knows everything that goes on around here.”
Ivy, the local gossip had told her they coming the day before. She said they were houseplants from the farmhouse down the road that had been transplanted to their garden. Mr. Gowan and his family had grown too big to stay on the windowsill any longer. In the move, he brought along his wife, two sons, and his daughter, Daisy. It was Daisy who immediately caught Bud's attention. She was gorgeous! her long stem was a perfect shade of green and her petals did not have a single blemish on them. Bud wanted to introduce himself, yet he was a bit nervous. Most flowers did not know this about him, but he was a bit of a shrinking violet.
Just as he was pondering what to do next, he heard a voice beside him. He turned around and stood practically petal to petal with the most beautiful flower in the whole world. “Hello, my name is Daisy.”
Suddenly, the trepidation Bud felt seemed to melt away. “Uh, uh, my name is Bud.” They stared at each other for a moment, then smiled. The two young flowers started talking and before long, they were comfortable with one another and begun recounting their lives. Daisy told Bud about her childhood on the windowsill. Bud then told her all about growing up in the garden. Never before had the chemistry between two flowers seem so right.
As the days passed, Bud and Daisy spent more and more time together. Their courtship was very innocent and sweet. Whenever Bud would glance at Daisy, she would demurely look away and giggle, blushing as she did so. It did not even appear strange to them when they realized that after a while they were starting to sound alike. Soon enough, they were finishing each other's sentences and sharing intimate secrets.
The other young girl flowers in the garden reacted to their budding relationship with a bit of bittersweet longing. They all had privately hoped that Bud would fall in love with them. Even though most of them did not know him personally, they felt as if they did mainly as a result of him being the son of the most powerful plant in the garden. However, now that he and Daisy were an item, they would have to look elsewhere for someone with whom to germinate.
The entire garden was buzzing about the new romance. As a matter of fact, someone in particular had taken a special interest in their relationship. Walter Weed was a despicable character whose bad reputation stretched as long as his gnarled roots. The Rose and Weed families had been embroiled in a feud that had gone on for generations. Over time, they had become deeply rooted in their hatred for one another. Walter did not even know how the feud began. His father told him the Roses started it just to make the Weed family appear vile and villainous. Perhaps they were to a point, but the Roses still had no right to think they were better than the Weeds. For this reason, Walter regarded Bud as his greatest enemy.
The fact that Bud Rose was content made the prickly hairs on Walter's knobby back stand on end. He decided then and there that he was going to do whatever it took to wedge himself between Bud and Daisy. If he could only persuade Daisy to leave Bud for him, Walter's father would be so proud. Maybe then he would stop making Walter feel guilty about being the only Weed who had not distributed his seed out to other parts of the garden. It was his father's considered opinion that every plant such as himself should do his or her part to rid the garden of all flowers and replace them with weeds.
His mother was not making matters any easier since she kept telling him he was too young to leave even though his father felt it was time for him to make his own way. Walter hated the way his parents still treated him like a child they could control. They did not realize he was not the same weed he used to be. He wanted to do things the way he felt they should be done. If that meant they were disappointed in him, so be it. He was going to make his own way on his own terms, and nobody was going to stop him.
His main worry was that Daisy would not feel they complemented each other. Also, how would his views on life differ from hers? He furrowed his brow for a moment, then began to chuckle. “What are you doing?” he wondered aloud. “You don't even know her yet, and you're already trying to withdraw!” He then decided it would be best to first steal the girl from his arch-rival before making any more snap judgments about her.
Meanwhile, Daisy was visiting with some friends in another part of the garden. Petunia, whose family had also been transplanted from the farmhouse, had been Daisy's best friend since they were very little. The two were relaxing and having a nice drink of dew when their friend Vanessa, a Geranium, dropped in. “Hi girls. What's going on?”
“Nothing much really,” Petunia said. “We were chatting about Daisy's new boyfriend.” “Don't you mean her Budfriend? Hmmm?” Vanessa playfully teased. “You're just jealous I have a boyfriend and you don't,” Daisy retorted. “That is the absolute truth! Do you know how lucky you are to have someone like Bud? He's fantastic!” Vanessa remarked. “There are some real scoundrels out there. Speaking of which, I've heard through the grapevine someone has a bit of a crush on you.”
“Who could that be?” Daisy speculated. “I don't really know any boy beside Bud.” “Well,” Vanessa replied, “This is someone you definitely do not want to get to know.” “Who is it?” asked Petunia. “His name is Walter Weed,” said Vanessa. “He and his family live on the outskirts. They are the sort that manages to do whatever necessary to get into your flowerbed, if you know what I mean. They'll even try to conceal who they really are by making up stories about themselves. Then when you least expect it, they choke you with their filthy roots and drive you right out of your home!”
“Oh my, I don't think I want to meet him or his family,” Daisy said. “Good thinking,” Petunia stated. “He sounds like trouble!”
The next day, Daisy told Bud about what Vanessa had said. He told her not to worry about Walter. Bud knew the real motive behind Walter's affection toward Daisy was to get revenge on him. This upset But to the point that his whole stem was shaking uncontrollably. He did not like it that Walter would put Daisy in the middle of their rivalry. Bud revealed to her about the Rose's feud with the Weeds and how Walter was using her to get to him. He wanted to confront Walter about this and settle it once and for all. “I'm going to find Walter and let him know what I think of him,” Bud said firmly.
“What are you planning to do once you find him?” Daisy questioned. “All I want to do is talk to him and let him know that you're my girl.” Bud winked his eye at her and smiled. Daisy returned his smile with a look of adoration. “I want you to know that I really appreciate what you're doing,” she said. “Nobody has ever offered to defend my honor before.”
Just then, Walter appeared from behind a small group of stones. Bud moved in front of Daisy as they both regarded him with disdain. Ignoring Bud's steely gaze, Walter focused on Daisy.
“Now Daisy,” he sneered, “How can you look at me like that when you don't even know me?” “I've heard all about you,” she said. “I know there is nothing you can say to make me see you any differently.”
“Yeah,” Bud added, “Why don't you dig up your roots are get out of here? Because if you decided to stay, I promise you're going to regret it.”
“Is that a threat?” Walter asked.
“No, I'm merely stating a fact,” Bud answered coolly.
Walter suddenly felt very uneasy. “Look, I don't want any trouble,” he said stumbling backward. "It was all just a big misunderstanding. I mean, you didn't think I really wanted to steal Daisy from you, did you? We've never even met!” he said laughing nervously. “So, is this little game of yours finished?” Bud demanded. “Yes! Yes, it's over. I'm done with this place and everyone in it,” Walter shot back. I'm outta here.” “I knew it,” Bud said, as Walter stalked away, “He's nothing but a little dandelion!”
Not long after the departure of Walter Weed, a celebration was taking place in the little garden. Bud and Daisy were getting married! Everyone turned out for the joyful event. The garden was bright and cheery and the gentle breeze mingling with the scent of springtime made everything picture perfect. Daisy looked lovely with a delicate crown of dewdrops atop her head. As the Marigold minister finished the ceremony, everyone cheered as the young flowers shared their first kiss as husband and wife. Bud then gazed lovingly into Daisy's eyes and said, “I love you.” Daisy smiled and replied “I love you, too.”
And they all lived happily ever after.
The End
Also posted on Devtome.com
