Sunflower - Chapter 2 (Patreon)

I am a sunflower.

Isn’t that nice?

But the sun itself has gone to sleep now and its soft warmth has left the world for another day.

That is unfortunate.

However, I find warmth reaching me from somewhere else.

From my high perch atop the wooden thing, I turn my still growing, bulbous head. I look at the source of the heat, at the fire that the ugly-flower, my savior and abductor, sits before.

Be careful, friend. Fire is dangerous.

I look towards the fire. It is a lot like the sun.

But it is late. I must prepare for the next day to come.

After all, the sun will be here soon again and I wouldn’t want to miss it.

The ugly-flower looks at me and I straighten myself back upright from my hunched over position. Pulling my stalk straight, I hold my leaves tightly against myself and face strictly towards the east, in anticipation of the rising sun to come, just as soon as the night is over.

There is a moon above my head.

But I do not care for the moon.

I am a sunflower.

Good night.

_____________________________________________________________

It is a ‘cart’.

We are stuck.

Well, more aptly said, she is stuck.

“Fuck’s sake! Fucking piece of fucking fuckity fuck-fuck fucking SHIT!” There is a loud thudding as she strikes the cart with her rootless stump. I shake.

Apart from the shaking, I am content where I am. Although, I would perhaps like more dirt. My roots feel dry and I am getting thirsty.

[You will die in {6} hours if you do not find water]

The wooden thing that I have been placed into, it is what she calls a cart.

I know this, because the ugly-flower is having a fit, hissing and fussing like some kind of wounded animal. She called it that sometime during the start of her rage, which I don’t quite understand the reasoning behind.

I think her cart died?

I seem to be at an odd angle.

No matter.

I spread my leaves out wide, directing my face towards the jubilant sunlight that has come together with a brand new morning.

Why don’t you join me, friend? We can soak in the sun together.

She does no such thing and continues to fight with the cart for a time.

I enjoy my sunlight as she does so.

[Sunflower]

You bask in the light of the sun

+ 1 EXP

EXP: 09/20

I am a sunflower.

_____________________________________________________________

One might ask many questions in life. Why am I here? What is my purpose? Where am I going? Why am I alive?

It seems silly.

My leaves shake, my stem bobs and sways from the motions of her movements as she carries me. We had to leave the cart behind. It was beyond saving, a little like my precious seeds, that the demon-bird stole from me.

I will never heal from that nightmare.

As for the ugly-flower, she seems to still be angry. However, she didn’t leave me behind.

I don’t mind either way. I would have liked to stay on the cart more, I was closer to the sun there.

But this is fine too. It doesn’t matter.

I hope she sets me down into the dirt soon though.

I am a thirsty sunflower.

[You will die in {3} hours if you do not find water]

Moving like this seems fun. It almost makes me wish that I could move on my own.

I imagine that I would just walk after the sun all day. Then, I would never have to go without it.

- A dream.

My ugly friend continues to fuss and to swear beneath her breath as we move.

What a silly creature. I don’t understand why she just doesn’t look at the sun for a while?

[Sunflower]

You bask in the light of the sun

+ 1 EXP

EXP: 16/20

It would help her feel better.

_____________________________________________________________

I am happy.

[You have drank your fill]

I quench.

Water trickles noisily around us. A small creek runs through the world. Beautiful daylight shines off of its shimmering, azure surface. I face myself towards the sun, but my roots, set into a hole, that my ugly friend dug for me, drink greedily of the lifeblood of the world; water.

The soil here is rich and fertile and damp. It is good soil. My roots are not alone in it. There are many things in the dirt. Worms. Fungus. Things that do not enjoy the sun as much as I do.

I shake my body, very slowly swaying from side to side. Do I move because I move, or do I move because of the wind? It is impossible to say.

I am a happy sunflower.

My ugly friend splishes and splashes like a fish.

It was odd at first, when she removed her bark. It made me feel unwell. What a grim sight. But now she seems happy and unharmed and just swims in the safe waters of the valley.

Maybe she isn’t an ugly sunflower? Maybe I was wrong? Maybe she is a fish?

She seems much happier there, in the water.

But I have never seen a fish before, so I do not know if she is a good example of one or not.

Oh well.

I look at the sun. What a kind day.

[Sunflower]

You bask in the light of the sun

+ 1 EXP

EXP: 20/20

[LEVEL UP!]

Congratulations! You are now level {2}!

HP: 07/07 ↗

SOUL: 03/03 ↗

- [Stats] -

STR: 01

DEX: 01

WIS: 05

INT: 05 ↗

LUK: 07 ↗

LOV: 04

NEW - [Mycelial Retention]{Passive}

• Extends your life-span when unrooted by 100%

In exchange for some of your photosynthesized sugars, inflates several small fungal nodules that are nested inside of your root network. The symbiotic mycelium will store and give you water and nutrients that it collects from the ground.

I do not know what this strange thing is that keeps appearing before me. But it makes me sad. It has appeared between me and the sun, obscuring its joyous gift from my sight.

The thing, the block of words, vanishes and the sun returns to me, as would a lost lover of decades past.

Hello, sun. I missed you.

I arch myself back upright, drinking my fill of the soil, drinking my fill of the sunlight.

What a good day.

My questionably attractive sun-fish friend returns from the water. I do not understand what she is. But I find that it isn’t worth worrying about. It’s nice that she seems to have found something that is joyous for herself.

_____________________________________________________________

I am carried and I look away from the sun for a moment, to observe the world around us.

Not because I find it more attractive to look at than the sun. The sun is the thing that holds my heart captive. No. It’s just cloudy, is all. So the sun is hiding from me. Instead, I will look and see what is here.

There is a rock.

I turn my head.

There is a tree.

I turn my head.

There. Another tree.

Wow… What a world. It’s so beautiful. I am amazed. I never knew that there were so many rocks and trees. I only ever knew of my field, by the forest. We did not have a creek. We had some rocks, but only a few and the trees were only further away, fighting against each other for the light of the sun, as if it were a limited thing.

Trees are short-sighted. There is enough sunlight for us all.

I look at a tree as we pass it by.

It does not bother looking my way, apparently having better things to do. It doesn’t matter. I hope the tree is happy.

My ugly friend, meanwhile, is buzzing. It’s rather odd. She is making a noise like a bird. It scared me at first. I thought she was going to take my seeds. Now that she has switched from her chirping to a buzzing, humming sound however, she reminds me of a confused bee.

[Sunflower]

You bask in the light of the sun

+ 1 EXP

EXP: 04/35

I am afraid that she is planning to try and pollinate me.

My head slowly turns away, facing back towards the sky. I pull my leaves in tighter against my body. I am not ready for that yet, friend. My seeds are not ready. Besides, I do not think that a sunflower, ugly or not, is a suitable pollinator for another sunflower. The same is true for fish, whose beauty I can not judge for lack of knowledge.

The sun returns from behind the clouds, saving me from this awkward situation.

I am a sunflower.

But perhaps I am too judgmental.

It is not my friend’s fault that she is a horrible, misshapen thing. She seems kind and happy and, while she is a little weird and has stolen me from my field, I do appreciate that I can see so much of the world.

Before I look back towards the sun, I see a big pile of dirt.

Wow…

I am an awestruck sunflower.