Bloom

Upon entering the flower shop, he thought he needed a little something to brighten his day. He thought about how things were going for him and the melancholy had settled in to be a way of life. He went right for the cut flowers thinking a bouquet would do the trick, to put some color in his otherwise gray life. After staring at the varieties in front of him, he thought it useless to pick something so beautiful but will inevitably die in a few days. At that moment the counter girl noticed his reluctance and asked if she could help him. He told her, “I would like something special for myself that won’t die like these,” pointing to the vases of cut flowers, “I think I want something that is alive.” She led him to the potted plants and excused herself to answer the phone. After ten minutes or so she returned, “Any luck,” she asked. He still wasn’t sure, thinking that none of these gave him the feeling he was looking for. Suddenly, the helpful girl remembered something over in the far corner and brought him a strange little plant. She called it the Rainbow Flower and told him that it is rare to blossom but it is a lovely plant and if correctly cared for, it would yield a bloom that composed of every color in the rainbow. And she added, that it is believed to be magical and if one wished upon its’ open flower, it would surely come true. “Although,” she cautioned, “There is no guarantee that it will ever reach flowering but it will give him years of growth.”

It didn’t take too much thought to conclude that this little plant was just what he was looking for, he purchased it and returned home with his find. He tended to it for months that flowed into years and like the shop girl promised it had grown into a fine plant with his loving care. It stood now two feet tall in the fourth pot since he had gotten it.

He checked frequently for signs of a bud but there was not one to be found. He had reserved himself to the fact that it probably wasn’t going to ever flower but he would enjoy it anyway.

One day, during his normal watering routine he noticed something. There it was, after years of waiting, a tiny closed nub was the very thing he had been looking for and he was so proud that his efforts had been rewarded. As it grew larger so did his excitement as he continued with the things he always did to insure the health of the plant.

After a couple weeks the bud seemed to stop growing and although it didn’t alarm him, he was wondering what was going on. He kept reminding himself what he was told at the shop years before that it may never get to this point but, “There must be something I could do,” he wondered. His impatience got the best of him and he decided to do something. Adding a little extra fertilizer to the soil, which was already good to begin with, couldn’t hurt, he thought. Over the following weeks the plant did react with some new foliage but the flower remained closed adding to his anxiousness.

Again, he attempted to speed the development by moving his prized plant from the spot it had been in for three years, closer to the window in the direct sunlight. After a couple days he approached in horror, to notice the leaves of the Rainbow Plant seemed to have wrinkled and some of the edges were brown. He scurried it back to its’ original spot hoping it would be all right. The leaves returned to their previous state in a few days and although he was quite relieved, the bud remained in it’s unchanged state.

Wanting to find out more about his plant, he returned to the shop where it had come from only to find it boarded up with a “For Rent” sign on the door. “Oh my,” he exclaimed, “What do I do now.” He chose to try the library. It appeared that no text he could find had any information on this rare species. Finally, he went to a horticulturist at the local university and as in his previous quests for knowledge, this also turned up negative.

Upon returning home, feeling a little tired from his efforts, he went over to the plant. Yes, it was just as he left it, beautiful as ever but he thought about the flower and the hope of a wish that it could bring and still felt he could coax it from its’ current state. He checked the stems and leaves and upon finding everything OK, he gave it water as he always had. He then thought, “Let me give a little bit more,” and tipped the watering can which then slipped from his hand, dumping the rest of the water in the container into the pot. He didn’t think it could hurt too much even though it had received twice as much as it needed.

He rose the next morning to find the blossom had fallen from its stem and lie withered on the table. “What have I done,” he cried. “I have waited for my wish for all this time and now I will never have it.” Reflecting on all that had happened he resigned himself to the thought that this was how things were for him and that there would never be an answer to his prayers and anything I touch turns bad anyway. His Rainbow Flower was gone and he despaired to know it had much to do with his lack of patience. Except for the soil being a little saturated, the rest of the plant seemed to be fine which gave him a slight consolation in that he did not kill it entirely.

Finally, after some time had passed, the soil had dried enough and it was time for some more water. He tentatively approached with the can and began to pour, still admiring what a gorgeous specimen it was. After placing the can down, he turned to walk away when he caught a glimpse of something. Checking the leaves and turning it slightly, he discovered something wonderful. A brilliant multi colored bloom had opened on the opposite side. He was overcome that after all this time and after all that had happened he was blessed with a Rainbow Flower. He bent to inhale its’ sweet fragrance, unlike any other he had ever experienced. It was then he realized that he no longer needed a wish…it had already come true.

Not The End