The Elderbush reimagined as Cunnilungi

Despite having a sign on the door intending to welcome all visitors into the mission hut, there were few visitors who came knocking on the doors. Every time there was a knock, one of the elders would put on their best hopeful smile, grab the nearest Book, and open the door.

It was usually just another elder who'd lost a key, or once every few months some deliveries from town. Never an eager listener.

Elder Cunningham was nearest the door when they heard a knock. The elders pricked up their ears, hands simultaneously reaching for their texts. Arnold opened the door and upon revealing the person on the door step, heard behind him a collective sigh.

"Hello Nectarine!"

"Hello Arnold!" Nabulungi smiled back at the toothy grin Arnold was giving her. The other elders had to admit that he positively glowed whenever she was around, and their smiles together could rival Elder Price's.

Elder McKinley rolled his eyes at the overtly saccharine exchange, choosing to bury his head back in his book.

"Can I come in?"

"Yes!" Arnold said all too eagerly, moving over for her to enter. "It's study time at the moment so we should probably leave them alone and go to the bedroom or something."

Catching the alarmed look on Elder McKinley's face, Nabulungi quickly laughed. "I'll make sure he behaves," She said hurriedly before catching Arnold's hand and dancing off down the corridor.

Nabulungi swung her bare legs over Arnold's bed as he perched awkwardly on the end. They spent a lot of time together now. Arnold would usually tell a story filled with extravagant characters from his imagination and television.

Nabulungi scooched up the bed towards Arnold and put a hand on his shoulder, relaxing him and coaxing him further onto the bed with her. They were young and innocent, Arnold having enough shyness for both of them. Telling stories was more than enough.

"Your feet are wet." Arnold remarked, his brow furrowed, as he noticed Nabulungi's bare feet leave a wet trail across his sheets. She looked down and immediately apologised as she began trying to sweep the worst of the mud away. She settled for dangling her legs over the bed.

Arnold just smiled and joined her, sitting side by side. "You should be careful, you could hurt your feet if you don't wear shoes."

"I never wear shoes, my feet are used to the rough."

She leant backwards, her feet still hovering inches above the floor, now lying on her back looking up at the ceiling.

"Tell me a story Arnold."

He joined her, both of them looking up in at the cracked and holey ceiling, in need of a fresh coat of paint. He thought for a moment, humming slightly under his breath.

"I can't think of one."

"Come on Arnie." He smiled instantly at the playfulness in her voice. She was always teasing him with nicknames, as he still hadn't managed to pronounce her name.

"No really, I can't think of anything, my mind's gone blank."

"My mother used to say that all you look at can be turned into a fairy tale. Then everything is a story and you can make a story out of everything."

"You're really beautiful." He sighed, wondering how someone like him had ended up with someone so wonderful as Nabulungi. He tried not to let it bother him too much, accepting what everyone told him about them just supposed to be together. But, he couldn't help it sometimes, the thoughts just came to him.

"Tell me a story!" She poked him in the ribs, snapping him out of his daze. He giggled as she continued the assault, the tickling almost too much to bear.

"What did you do today?" He said quickly in an effort to calm her down.

"I picked some flowers, I'm giving them to Baba tomorrow. They're called Nabulungi flowers and when I was little I always used to find that very funny. Nabulungi means beautiful."

"I could have told you that."

"If you could say my name."

"So were you named after the flowers or were they named after you?"

"If a flower was going to be named after you, what would you call it?"

"Well there is such a thing as an elderbush."

She laughed at the strange sounding plant. "It's perfect! Tell me about it."

"I don't know much about it."

"Make it up then." She gave him a gentle nudge before finding his hand on top of the covers and lacing their fingers together.

"Well as you know, they're magical." He began, his creative cogs beginning to whir.

"Of course."

"In fact, they're portals between this world and the celestial kingdom. The angel Moroni can jump through the orange ring up in heaven and emerge on earth through a blue one. Understand?"

"Nope," She replied brightly. Arnold's enthusiasm excited her whether she understood what he was talking about or not.

"Well, anyway, these portals also work through time. So the angel Moroni can see through time and space."

"Just by travelling from bush to bush?"

"Yes." Arnold's story was evolving in his head, and he knew know exactly where he was going.

"Elderbushes are native to Salt Lake City. There's this one bush that he likes to visit all the time, jumping backwards and forwards. It's in a small garden in the backyard of this beautiful little house near the temple."

"Who lives there?"

"Well the first time Moroni visits, no one because the house hasn't been built yet, there's only a bush in the garden. The second time there's a boy there, he likes to read comic books and watch Star Trek."

"Like you!"

"Yeah, just like me. Then Moroni wants to visit the house in the future, but he jumps too far to a time when no one lives in the house."

"Where did the boy go?"

"He had to go away for a while. He was gone two years so his parents moved to a smaller place."

"Where had he gone?"

"You know what, that's exactly what Moroni was wondering. So he came back a few years later."

"Did he come back?"

"Yes, and the house was a bit different. It was just him now, and someone else."

"Who?"

"Moroni came back many years later after that, and found the boy had grown up and there was now a woman living with him. She was as beautiful as a flower. He watched from the elderbush and saw that they were in love. He came back every year after that and saw them grow older together, watching their lives until one time he came through the portal and the house was no longer there."

"That's sad."

"But they were happy."

"So the boy who liked to read comics and watch Star Trek fell in love with the woman as beautiful as a flower. I don't think that happens in real life."

"I think it does."

"This woman, what was her name?"

"Sorry, I can't pronounce it."