3

Plant Food

One day I was hunting through my father's basement for some fertilizer for my Venus Fly Trap. I had got the plant for my birthday two days before and my dad kept on telling me to take better care of it.

Today my dad told me to go into the cellar and find some fertilizer. My dad's basement was full of plant stuff. We had watering cans, fertilizer, and many books about plants.

I guess that you are wondering why I got a plant for my birthday. Well my dad spent a long time studying to be a botanist. To do this he had to study many different kinds of plants. So he started to buy plants and is now obsessed with them. So he wants me to follow in his footsteps.

I searched in my basement for some fertilizer and saw a box labelled 'PLANT FERTILIZER.' It seemed to be fertilizer so I grabbed the small box. I was leaving the cellar and heading for the stairs when I spotted something shining on a shelf.

I moved towards it, mesmerized by the fluorescent glow of the object. Then I picked it up off of the shelf and discovered that the object was a watering can. But it wasn't the watering can glowing; it was a box behind it reflecting off of the metal watering can. So I pulled the box out from the shelf and wiped off the thick layer of dust. The box read:

PLANT FOOD

TASTES GREAT

MIX WITH WATER

YOU WILL GROW TO LOVE IT!

I put my finger into the box and tasted a little bit of the plant food. It tasted like sugar and honey mixed into a powdery dust. It was delicious! So I quickly ran upstairs and mixed a little bit with some water.

It was like Kool-Aid but tasted a million times better. I drank a little bit more before I saw the time. It was already 6 o'clock!

I drank the rest of the 'Plant Food' and hurried up to bed. Then I threw on some pajamas and crawled into bed. I had a strange craving for more 'Plant Food.'

- - - - - -

The next morning I woke up to feel something in my bed that was scratching me and making me itchy. So I lifted up my covers and discovered leaves everywhere and they were growing on me! So I got up and ran to my bathroom.

They were in my hair and on my legs, arms, and my chest. So I quickly started to pull them off of my arms and legs.

"OW!' I screeched as I felt pain after pulling a leaf off of my arm. It was painful to pull the leaves off of my body but I knew that I couldn't go to school with leaves all over my body.

After I pulled all of the leaves off of my arms and legs I decided that I didn't want to face the pain of pulling them off of my chest and out of my hair. I thought that it would be easier to face the laughter of my classmates.

I had breakfast and I poured a glass of water. Then without thinking, I mixed the 'Plant Food' into the water.

I ran to school just in time to get to class before the bell. When I walked into class there was silence for about five seconds before the jokes started.

"Hey what's that in your hair?" a girl shouted.

"It's leaves!" a boy shouted.

Then everyone broke into laughter.

"Don't blame him," another kid shouted, "his dad always wanted a plant more than a son!"

"YEH! Now he has both!!!" a girl shouted.

The teacher walked in and everyone went dead silent. Our teacher was Mr. Lizarton. To most of the students he was known as Mr. Lizard Man because of his reptile-like eyes and his bald head. But no one would say the name around him, not even the other teachers. He was a very scary teacher and no one liked him. Some students even think that he lives at the school in one of the reptile cages.

That day at school went by very slow because of the ridicule. But one of the weird things was that I was very tired and went for a long drink of water every ten minutes. Something very strange was happening to me.

- - - - - -

When I got home I had some 'Plant Food' mixed with water. Then I went outside to bask out in the sun. I had a big jug of water that I had a drink out of every ten minutes beside me.

When I came inside that night I went to the kitchen to have some more 'Plant Food.' Then I went to bed. I had dreams about 'Plant Food' all night long.

When I woke up I felt very strange. I couldn't move! I inspected my body. I had leaves all over branches. Wait... I had branches growing out where my arms should have been and my body was covered in hard, brown bark. I was turning into a tree!

I discovered that I still could move a little bit. So I rolled out of bed and fell on my feet. But I didn't have feet I had roots. I tried to scream but I had no mouth. I only had eyes. The only characteristic that I was human.

I struggled my way down the stairs and saw the plant food on the table. I moved toward it and read the back instructions:

SIDE EFFECTS MAY INCLUDE MUTATION, DEATH, OR SICKNESS

USE WITH CAUTION

'Oh! No!' I thought, 'This can't be happening.'

But it was happening. My life was over. I blew it.

'But at least I hadn't died,' I thought, 'that would have been worse. I hope.'

Then I stepped toward the sliding door. I turned and stuck my branch into the handle. Then I slid the door open with much difficulty. I walked out towards my parent's garden and stepped into the wet mud.

The nutrients in the soil came into me through my roots and I felt new energy. But the energy was useless because my roots became planted in the soil. I was stuck.

- - - - - -

My mom came outside to water the garden at around noon. I could tell it was noon because the hot sun was directly above me. She had a watering can and a small, glowing box.

I could make out the label on the box. It read: PLANT FOOD. 'MOM,' I tried to scream. But I had no mouth. So I said my silent goodbyes and tried to cry, although it didn't work.

"Where did you come from?" my mom asked me, "My husband got you didn't he?"

she poured the box of 'Plant Food' on the soil covering my roots. Then she poured some water on me too.

I felt my eyes disappear and my thoughts decayed. I was done for. Goodbye cruel world.

My last thought was, ' Who gives their child a plant for their birthday?'

THE END