Appeared

Oh no. 

Oh I did it again didn’t I?

Dang it dang it dang it. 

I’m not sure where I am this time, we were talking about deserts so I’m somewhere with a desert. Oh man what if I’m in Egypt. Ohhh dad won’t like that. Come on Asher you gotta focus. Go back to school. Focus on school. 

…

I CAN'T. OH MAN MOM AND DAD ARE GOING TO BE SO UPSET. I wasn’t even finished with my math work. 

I ball up my hands and shake them. I want something to happen, send me back home. Instead my math work flutters down onto a cactus next to me. 

“Well,” I sigh, “at least I can finish my school work.” 

First things first, what would Aries do, I need to figure something out. 

Well, they’d find an adult. 

I look down in the sand and see footprints. Okay! Good! Someone’s around! Maybe they can call my teacher and say I’m okay. And then I can call the police just in case they think I’m missing!

I start running, following after the prints. I really hope they’re nice, then dad wouldn't have to fight to make sure I’m not in the news. 

Everything is smooth until I trip and fall on my face, getting a huge mouthful of sand. 

“Gross!” I cry, spitting and hacking it up. Now I could get sick too! What if I’ve already eaten spiders? 

“This isn’t fair,” I sit in the sand, pouting, trying not to cry. I really just wanted to do my school work. 

“And what’s a sad little thing doing out here,” a woman pokes her head around a cactus, she’s very tall.

I get up on my feet and look up at her. She’s kinda funny looking, bright green and pink eyes, cacti in her hair and a white dress. Sorry, I shouldn’t say that. She also looks old, like mom. Maybe she’s a mom! Sorry again, I also shouldn’t say that.

“Hi ma’am, my name is Asher, I’m supposed to be in school, where am I? Am I in Egypt?” I sort of just let all the words tumble out of my mouth, it’s probably too much. 

“Calm down there honey,” the lady waves her hands, “slow down. Do you not know where you are?” 

“Oh,” I try to snap my finger, “yeah, no I have no idea where I am!” 

I hope about the paper that explains my epithet to strangers, suddenly feeling it in my hands. 

“Here you go ma’am,” I hold it out to her, “my mom and dad wrote this.”

Gently she takes it and begins to read. I can tell because her eyes keep moving. 

“Oh goodness,” she looks back at me and puts her hands on her hips, “well pluck my leaves, kid you’re in New Mexico.”

“I’m in Mexico!?” I scream, “I’m going to get so many sunburns! Oh come on.” 

I just stomp and kick in the sand, unsure how to let myself feel but I am feeling. The lady kneels down and takes my hand, petting my head and squeezing my hand. She’s definitely a mom. 

“Look at me kiddo calm down,” she shushes, I have to listen, “My name is Parry, let me take you back to my house. Me and my husband will call your mom and we’ll figure this all out. Don’t want you to be out here all day.” 

Something grows in my hand, like she made it right then and there. 

“Want you to take a bite into this and drink as much as you can,” she holds my hand up to show and cute little green ball, “don’t want you to be dehydrated.”

“Are you a mom?” I put the ball up to my nose and sniff it, it’s very fresh, a weird plant probably. Biting into it, I find it’s very crunchy, then I find delicious water. I didn’t even know water could be delicious. Well, Miss. Beryl’s classroom drinking fountain has nice water. I guess I was wrong.

Ms. Parry grins at me warmly, ruffling my hair. No doubt she’s a mom.

“My kids are long grown but I’m always a mother aren’t I?” 

I guess I could’ve waited to get that confirmed. 

I take her hand.

“Okay ma’am, I’ll come with you. But if anything happens I’m not afraid to jump out of your car.”

She gives me a very worried look.

“Sorry,” I realize how weird that is to say, Aries told me it would threaten normal people, “I’m 10, I’m a goody two shoes.”

“Yeah,” she stood up and we started walking, “sure. That makes sense.”

-

Ms. Parry is a very nice lady I think. We had started walking and I realized I left my work on a cactus. She then made a little cactus guy right then and there and sent it to go fetch it for me. I think she’s a little like dad, however. Very loud on the road. I got to ride without a car seat! So that’s cool!

Her house is very nice too, it’s covered in all sorts of plants and stuff. I love it! I’m really sad to find out she can’t grow daisies with her epithet. I think I’ll make some daisies for her after we eat dinner.

Mom and Dad are going to get on a plane to come pick me up tomorrow if I don’t suddenly appear home by then. So I’m staying here until then. 

I also met Mr. Laurent! I think his full name is funny. 

Laurent Lance! Ooooo!

They’re nice!

Oh! Dinner is ready! I’m so excited! Mr. Laurent is apparently a chef!

-

I’m sitting in Mr. Laurent’s lap, he’s a very big man, taller than dad and huge hands. We’re looking at an old photo book of him and his family.

“And this is when Ally’s first sprout came in,” he pointed to a young girl with a huge smile, a tiny leaf growing from her hair, “it was a wonderful occasion, you can see I couldn’t help myself and throw together a dinner.”

“Gosh,” I gasp, “that’s so much food.”

“Anything to help encourage our kids,” he smiles.

“That’s not true honey, you were just excited she had more of my epithet,” Ms. Parry put her book down.

“Your epithet is wonderful, of course I wanted our kids to be more like you,” Mr. Laurent turned the page, “this is when Petunia first learned how to ride a bike. She was 8 and fell off, knocking out her teeth but she insisted she get back on the bike and go.”

“Does she have sprouts too?” I point my finger to her empty head of hair then look back at him. I think he was uncomfortable because he looked away. I’m not sure.

“She sure did,” he flipped to another page and I see a slightly older Petunia hanging upside down from monkey bars, many leaves in her hair.

“I like these,” I say, feeling the paper in my fingers, “they feel like kids who would be my friends.”

“Maybe we should give Allison a call,” Ms. Parry suggested, “she lives in your city.”

I can’t help but gasp.

“Oh definitely, she’d love to be your friend,” Mr. Laurent pats my shoulder, “you’re creative and funny kiddo. Who wouldn’t want to be your friend?”

“Then I could be friends with Petunia too!”

“If you knew where to find her,” Ms. Parry returned to her book, I could tell she didn’t want me to hear that but I did anyway. I rather not question it if they don’t tell me themselves.

“Mr. Laurent,” I look back at him again, staring into his warm eyes, “can we make daisies now?”

“Sure thing,” he smiles, “anything you want.”

-

I think they are sad. Aries mentioned that you can tell a parent is sad and misses their kid based on how they respond to little kids talking to them. I feel like I’ve basically been adopted so they clearly miss their kids. 

I don’t think Petunia calls home often. That makes me sad. 

I think I’ll ask mom and dad if I can visit Ms. Parry and Mr. Laurent more. Maybe when I can, I’ll take Allison with me! 

Then maybe through our good vibes, Petunia will think “hey I should call up mom and dad and maybe visit them!” And we’ll have family dinner.

I pause from writing, something was dancing in the corner of my eye. 

I’m not sure what it was so I go back, starting to write again. I’m not sure what though. I feel like there’s so much happening. I think I just want to go home.

I like that this happened to me today. Now I have new friends, new friends for my mom and dad, and free food. I can’t wait to tell Aries and Najm about this. Oh! I could introduce them to Allison too! Not like Aries needs another mom. But still! 

I can’t wait to go home.

It happens again but I don’t care. I’m having too much fun thinking.

I can talk to someone about plants and flowers. I even made her a daisy crown. I made one for Petunia too.

There’s a little laugh next to me. It doesn’t sound like either of the adults. I’ll finish up this sentence then look.

I always like new friends. I always feel it’s hard when I have no control over my e

Then there’s a crash of glass, causing me to jump and scream a bit. I fall back onto the floor. I think someone is crying. I’m not sure.

I’m too focused on looking at Allison and Petunia looking at me on the floor. 

-

“I’m sorry, Ms. Parry.”

“No it’s okay,” she pets my head and tucked the blanket in closer to my chin, “you’re young, you don’t have control over your epithet. Trust me I understand.”

I’m laying in one of the sister’s beds and Ms. Parry is tucking me in. This is where I’m sleeping tonight, even if I’m not tired right now.

“I’ve just never projected an image before,” I tell her, blinking, “I didn’t think I could do that.”

“Well,” she sighs and leans into her chair, “you did a great job of replicating our daughters when they were young, I’ll tell you that.”

I don’t like that. 

“Do you have any bedtime stories?” I want to stop talking about this, I don’t like making people uncomfortable, “I need them to sleep.”

“Of course dear, stay right here,” she gets up, “I know I have some good ones. You ever hear of Skippyjon Jones?”

“Nope!”

She winks and leaves, grabbing it from wherever it is.

This place is nice, I think. It’s very pleasant. But I don’t think I could sleep here. It feels too early. It’s all the wrong colors.

I think I’m making them sad.

I want my mom.

With a blink, the bed I’m on goes away. I look up and see my mom’s face. She’s just as surprised to see me as I am to see them.

“Oh honey!” They bear hug me.

I don’t really know what happens next. I just know I felt awful and I needed to cry. 

Mom probably thought I was scared.

I didn’t know how to tell her that I was sad for Ms. Parry.

She never got to read me her story.