Petal Lore: PART ONE

‘PETAL’S POWER’

“And then I went like, Pow! Pow! Pow! with sunbeams, and the baddies were running around in circles – all blind – and they bonked their heads together, and fell down kicking their stubby little legs and whining like babies!”

Petal’s little fists smash together, mimicking the monster heads. The munions watch with wide eyes, mouths gaping, as her fingers wiggle like monster legs.

Petal plucks at the wayward tendril of a rattan plant so tall that they call them Ent’s Walking sticks. She winds it around a nearby smilax vine, so it will get more sun. “The monsters out there are big. Bigger than all of you on toppa one another. Can’t kill ‘em with just a few sun blasts.”

The arsenal is abloom. Bugs sing in the shadows; fat palms unfold atop the rattan. Super poisonous bleeding heart flowers burst out of thorny stems. Stinging Bushes, their leaves hairy with glass-like spikes, bump up next to the Sleepies and the Sneeze Weed and Wait-a-Whiles. This is Petal’s favorite garden, a free-for-all of spines, spikes, and prickles. In the distance is the rhythmic sound of a guardian ent circling the Meekos village. Three munions follow Petal about, bouncing and orbiting her, as always.

“We will eat them up if you take us! You could enchant us up out of the bramblethorn seeds!”

“You know what happened last time.” Petal sighs and looks at her feet, her sprout drooping in shame. “Nothing.”

“Maybe if you try harder!”

“Yes, just concentrate super-duper hard!”

She plops down and closes her eyes. Her forehead bunches up. She gathers all the sunbeams, just like before. Heat builds up in her hands, and the munions cheer and spin in frantic circles. Finally, it’s too hot to bear; she lets it go with a shriek. Purple Solanum petals explode into the air, and then…

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

When all is calm, she is standing alone in a rain of purple blooms and dew bubbles, three little bramblethorn seeds where the munions had once been.

“Oh no! I’m so sorry!” Then she wonders…

Maybe if she has explosives, she can beat up any of those jungle baddies. They’ll send her to scout all the wells! She’ll be a hero!

With a shout, she blasts a sunbeam into the still-smoking bramblethorn seeds, and:

Pop!

Pop!

Pop!

Out comes the three munions, good as new. “What happened!” “You farted!” “I did not, I went kablooie!” “That’s what I meant!” “That’s stupid!” “No, you’re stupid!”

Petal whistles, and her lotus flower bounds back to her. “Come on, munnies,” she says in a brand-new, commanding voice. “We are going outside.”

Petals Lore: PART TWO

‘THE MUNIONS’ TALE’

Out! Out! Petal takes us to the outside places today! You don’t get to come. You’re just a dumb giant ent. You have to stay here and guard the hatchery… but we three get to go out when Petal scouts! Ha!

You never saw the far outside place. There are not so many seeds and sprouts. Things don’t all grow from the ground. There are creatures that make shiny magic and there are glow-glow crystals that we bring back and plant in the earth. It helps grow new brothers for you!

And there are baddies! Baddies are favorite.

Yes! Favorite! Petal says we can eat the baddies. Chomp! Chomp! We take big bites from the baddies. We eat and they fall down and then when we are very full we get to nap in the bramblethorn. Also Petal throws the sun at the baddies. Sparkle, pow!

What’s that? You say Petal can’t throw the sun?! …that the sun is way up high, maybe three ents higher than you? She does throw the sun, and then the baddies run. Don’t call me stupid! You’re stupid! Ents are stupid! Yes, ents are the stupidest.

Sometimes we go boom. Can you go boom, mister ent? Didn’t think so.

All three of us. Boom! Boom! Boom! Even more roasted baddies. Then Petal grows us back again.

She is the best Meekos scout ever. One day she will grow more things. Maybe big, dumb ents.

You stay here, big dumb ent. You protect the village, and we will go chomp!