Just My Imagination
By Joan Powers
A/N: This story was inspired by two of my all-time favorite Lost in Space episodes, "My Friend, Mr. Nobody" and "Attack of the Monster Plants". With Penny being a little older, this story will have a different twist to it. Special thanks to Nancy and Tracy for their input.
Rating: PG-13/K+
Genre: Sci-fi/fantasy
Timeline: Early Season 2
Summary: Penny is thrilled to discover a secret garden to call her own. But on an alien planet, nothing is ever what it appears to be.
"C'mon, don't you want to see what's down by the stream?" Penny asked her brother, Will, as she rapidly stacked the dirty lunch plates on top of their outdoor dining table.
After spending the morning doing their studies, both children were anxious to stretch their legs, especially since it was a beautiful sunny day.
Will took a huge bite from his second sandwich. Mouth still partially full, he asked, "You wanna fish there?"
"I don't think it's big enough for that. But it'll be fun to explore the area, anyway. If we just use our imagination."
Will smirked. "You mean like have a tea party?" Then he rolled his eyes.
Penny bit her lip, annoyed by his sarcasm. She was ready to slap his freckled cheeks.
"How dumb. Who needs imagination when you've got science?"
He stuffed the last bite of sandwich into his mouth then rose from his chair. "I'm gonna do something useful and search for rocks by the lava bed." Grabbing his bag of tools, he said, "Let's go, Robot."
The Robot glided over to join him.
Penny started to leave when her mother reminded her, "The dishes? It's your turn."
"It's not fair!" Penny's palm hitting the table nearly sent a dirty plate flying. "Why does Will get to go exploring and I'm stuck doing chores?"
Her mother's gaze grew firmer.
The young girl paused, realizing she'd pushed too far. One more word and…well, it wouldn't be worth hurting her mother's feelings. She would claim that Will had chores too. But his seemed a lot more fun than hers did. On occasion he even got to carry a laser pistol. And he was younger than her. It didn't seem fair. She swallowed her feelings of resentment and picked up the plates, dutifully following her mother into to the space ship.
XXXXX
"Take that, Will Robinson!"
Penny savagely kicked aside a rock in her path.
"Who needs you anyway? I'm going without you."
She walked quickly, buoyed by her annoyance with her brother. Sometimes she and Will got along well but recently he made fun of anything she wanted to do, especially if it involved using her imagination. There was nothing wrong with pretending. She was well aware of the difference between reality and fantasy. What was the harm in having a little fun? Judy also implied she was far too old for such nonsense but Penny felt her siblings were the ones missing out.
The terrain became rockier as she approached the stream. This planet had similarities to Priplanus, the world where they'd been stranded for most of last year. There was sand, dirt, dust and rocks. Lots of rocks. At least this world had more plant life. There were several stunted 'trees' about as tall as her father, with bright orange fuzz for leaves. She'd also discovered some wild flowers.
She missed the lushness of Earth with the wide variety of plant life and even just grass. It would be wonderful to simply go barefoot and feel the grass between her toes. To lie down, basking in the warmth of the sun, smelling freshly mown grass while staring up at the clouds, trying to discern the various shapes. In theory, she could do that here. It was entertaining to lie on a blanket and examine the different stars in the night sky. Fun, but not the same.
Hearing the rush of water in the stream, she hurried towards it. As she suspected, it wasn't very wide. With a running start, she could've jumped across it. Crouching by the edge, she watched the water flowing. She put a dead leaf into the current and watched it travel downstream. She experimented using different sized leaves and some small twigs she found on the ground, watching them get picked up and carried away by the current.
When she tired of playing in the stream, she followed it to a pool where the water collected. It was surrounded by rocky hills and more of the stunted trees. Penny closed her eyes and imagined that the water was magical, swirling with streaks of purple and pink and that this special water would cause the trees to grow larger and stronger. Instead of stunted black sticks with puffs of orange fuzz, at her mystical oasis the trees would tower above her, with strong sturdy white trunks and massive golden leaves.
Noticing a space between the rocks along the hillside, she moved forward to investigate. Gingerly pushing one of the rocks, it moved, revealing a small chamber concealed within the mountain. Delighted by the discovery, she ducked to enter, nearly grazing the back of her neck.
The chamber was small, about the size of the upper deck of the Jupiter 2. While a few holes in the ceiling and walls let in some natural light, overall the cave was dark, slightly damp and chilly. Penny shivered as she walked about, the musty odor tickling her nose. The dirt floor of the chamber was covered with dead leaves and vines. She hadn't noticed anything resembling them outside. The decaying leaves crumbled and crunched as she stepped on them.
It certainly wasn't a grand place. Yet it was private. Something she could have all to herself. With additional light and a blanket, this could be nice
She noticed a brighter spot in the far back corner beneath a hole in the ceiling. A single tiny white blossom was attached to one of the dead vines. Penny held it in her hand, marveling that something so fragile could survive in such hostile conditions. It fit neatly in the palm of her hand, with its soft white petals curled up tightly like a rose bud. If she'd been a different girl, she would've plucked it off the vine to bring back to the Jupiter 2 so she could enjoy its beauty. Instead, she wondered if she could revive the plant. After all, many plants had dormant periods where they appeared to be dead and then literally came back to life in the spring.
As she tenderly stroked the delicate blossom, she recalled her botany. Plants needed light, water and nutrients from the soil. Releasing the flower, she reached for her canteen and poured water about the vicinity. She remembered that pruning away dead material was important but she had no idea what parts were vital. She decided to try to loosen the nearby soil using her hands but it was packed so hard, she was having difficulty. Tomorrow she'd commandeer a trowel from the spaceship. She removed some of the dead leaves near the blossom yet left alone the thickest part of the vine to which the flower was attached.
As she worked, she sang.
"Oh Solider, Solider, Won't you marry me with your musket, fife and drum?"
Will would laugh at her, thinking she was wasting her time. But who cared what he thought? This place reminded of her of "The Secret Garden", one of her favorite books. As she worked and sang, she felt invigorated. She could've sworn the tiny blossom was already growing larger but she was probably imagining that. Most likely the poor little flower would be dead by tomorrow. But Penny could still have fun playing in her chamber.
XXXXXX
Penny was running, her dark braids swinging back and forth, eager to get back to their camp. With the darkness of the chamber, she hadn't realized that it had gotten so late. She hoped her parents wouldn't be angry.
She slowed down as she caught sight of the large silver dome of their spaceship, the Jupiter 2. She could see the trays containing their hydroponic garden and the force field projector. Her parents were seated at their outdoor dining table, intently studying some sort of diagram. She cautiously stepped closer.
All hopes of sneaking by them were dashed when her father looked up.
"Where have you been? We've been worried about you!" John Robinson exclaimed.
Feeling color rising to her cheeks, she said, "I'm sorry. I went for a walk. Time must've just gotten away from me."
She wasn't the type to lie, especially to her father. She wasn't very good at it. But her story was mostly true. That had to help. She had gone for a walk and lost track of time. Certainly her father might understand her need for some privacy. For something special that belonged only to her. She didn't meet his eyes, concerned that he was angry with her so she missed the exchange of significant glances between her mother and father.
More calmly, Professor Robinson replied, "Just let someone know next time, okay?"
With relief, she responded, "Sure, Dad."
"And keep better track of time. Judy needs you in the galley to help with dinner."
Penny raced into the spaceship.
XXXXXX
Watching their daughter entering the spaceship, John asked his wife, "Do you want to tell me what's going on in the head of yours?"
"Growing pains?"
Maureen wasn't used to seeing Penny behaving this way. Her eldest daughter, Judy, had her moody periods. And Will…well, just keeping track of him was a challenge. He couldn't keep his nose out of trouble. Up to this point, her middle child had been her easiest.
He sighed. "I don't like her out there alone."
"Come now, John. If we were on Earth, she'd be alone far more. At school all day. Maybe walking to the store or going to the movies with friends. Having sleep-overs."
"The operative word is 'on Earth'."
"This is where she lives. Do you want to treat her like a hot house flower? We do allow Will far more freedom."
"That's different."
Maureen eyed him suspiciously.
"He's a boy," John replied, as if that answer was sufficient in itself.
She bristled. "What does that matter? They both need to know how to handle themselves in this new world. Besides, I think she just wants some privacy. I seriously doubt she's going far. She just wants to do her own thing. Will was a bit rough with her today."
Reaching for her hand and squeezing it, her husband replied, "As always, darling, I trust your judgment."
XXXXX
Penny was racing through her breakfast, shoveling mouthfuls of oatmeal into her mouth, barley stopping to chew.
"Slow down, dear. It's not a race." Her mother laughed.
When she'd only finished half of it, she shoved the bowl aside.
"What's the rush?" Maureen asked.
"There's stuff I wanna do." Penny sprang out of her chair, ready to clean up when she realized that Dr. Smith and Judy hadn't even arrived at the outdoor dining table yet.
Sensing her disappointment, her mother replied, "If you help me with supper, I'll take care of these dishes."
Penny's eyes lit up. "Deal! Gotta go!"
She rushed to her cabin to grab a bag. Yesterday she'd packed a blanket, candles (so much nicer than a lamp), matches, a full canteen, a trowel and some fertilizer. Much to her regret, she hadn't been able to sneak away yesterday to visit her flower. She was eager to see if it was still alive.
She raced over the rocky terrain in record time, and then followed the stream to the pool. Entering the chamber, she called out, "Hello little flower."
She lit a candle to be able to see better in the dimly illuminated chamber. She chided herself for being foolish. Most likely the blossom had already died. These certainly weren't optimum conditions for growth.
Then she saw it. The blossom had started to open! The interior petals shone as if they'd been dipped in silver glitter. She wondered if that was the equivalent of pollen.
"Look at you!"
Gently cupping the flower in her hand, she noticed it had indeed grown larger. Two days ago, she could enclose the bud in her palm with her fingers. Today, it was longer than her entire palm! Even the vine that the flower was attached to seemed greener.
It didn't make sense. Plants didn't grow that quickly. At least none that she'd encountered. All she'd done was to give it a little water. Then she grew excited, wondering how fertilizing and weeding might affect it.
She decided to focus on the area about the blossom. Using the trowel, she loosened the soil. Then she added fertilizer and water. As she tended the flower, she sang. She imagined the blossom was straining towards her as if responding to her voice.
XXXXXX
"Where are you going?" Will asked.
"None of your business," Penny snapped impatiently. Her dark hair was loose today. She hadn't taken the time to braid it. She'd only hastily combed it. Her long locks had some tangles yet she didn't seem to care. She was on her way to her garden and had no intention of sharing it with her brother.
"I didn't want to go anyway." Will turned, walking towards the drill site.
As she hiked towards her chamber, she occasionally looked over her shoulder. Even though he said he wasn't interested, she wouldn't put it past Will to follow her. She'd asked him to come along the first time. He'd had a chance. It wasn't her fault that he'd blown it.
Entering the chamber and lighting a candle, she was always surprised by how much growth had occurred even overnight. After a week of tending, watering, and fertilizing, the cave floor was nearly covered by hardy green vines that bore a multitude of white blossoms. Penny counted over twenty fresh buds of tiny white with the petals clamped tightly shut. The original blossom had grown nearly as large as a bowling ball! In many respects, it resembled an enormous tulip. Penny wondered when it would stop growing. At least thirty other blossoms, ranging in size, filled the chamber. In the dusky candle light, it appeared as if the air was filled with their shimmery pollen.
Since the plants enjoyed her singing, she'd started bringing her tape player so they could listen to Mozart and other music. She'd read that plants responded well to classical music. And that people talked to their houseplants to increase their growth. She'd understood that was due to the carbon dioxide in a person's breath. The carbon dioxide provided a necessary precursor for photosynthesis.
Even though she prided herself on being a scientist, she felt more was going on here. All the things she was doing – the watering, tending and fertilizing, didn't seem sufficient to explain this miraculous growth. Penny had performed most of the same operations on their hydroponic garden with far less dramatic results. It could be that this particular breed was specially adapted for harsher conditioners. She'd read that some Earth bacteria had adapted to living in dark caves with extreme temperatures. Still, it didn't seem a good enough explanation.
She felt the plants were responding more to something else. To her love for them. Will would laugh himself silly if she'd shared such a thing with him but in her heart, she felt it was true. When she was working with the plants, she could sense them. A sort of presence. When she sang to them, she felt a sensation, not identical to the purr of a cat or bubbling sound of a guinea pig but similar. It was subtle. But it was there. Sometimes she even felt the blossoms were tilting towards her, trying to brush against her and touch her.
Was it such a foolish idea? Why couldn't love make a difference? People responded to love. So did animals. Why not plants? They were living creatures too. Wasn't love one of the most powerful forces in the universe?
Will would just say she was imagining things. She was appalled by his lack of creativity. And while she'd be the first to admit that that the plants most likely were not cooing when she sang or bending towards her, those enormous blossoms didn't appear out of nowhere.
She took her time, visiting each blossom, removing any dead material, carefully tilling the soil. Once the floor of the cave was covered, she wondered if the vines would crawl along the walls. That would look so exotic. She always felt happy when she was with the plants and couldn't wait to return to them.
XXXXXXX
Once again, Penny was running back to the space ship. Time always seemed to fly by so quickly while she was tending to her garden. At least her load was lighter since she'd decided it was safe to leave her supplies in the chamber.
As she approached the space ship, she saw her father and Don engrossed in repairing the force field. They'd been working on it for several days now. She idly wondered how they were coming along. The table wasn't yet set for dinner. Perhaps she could sneak by the men and then down to the galley to help with preparations.
When she was half-way up the ramp, her father looked up and said, "Penny, we need to talk." He sounded serious.
She stepped towards him. '"Yes, Dad? Shouldn't I be helping with dinner?"
"That can wait." He put down his tools. He nodded towards Don, who went into the space ship to give them some privacy.
Her father asked, "What were your chores for today?"
She tried to remember but nothing specific came to mind. There were so many. Help prepare food and clean up the dishes. Help with the laundry. Mend clothes. Neaten the space ship. Tend to the hydroponic garden.
And there was always time spent during school work. But she usually didn't mind that.
Had she done her two hours of school work today? She was having trouble remembering exactly what she'd been doing today, other than visiting her garden.
"What about the hydroponic garden?"
"Wasn't it Judy's turn?"
Frankly she couldn't remember and she didn't especially care.
More sternly, John replied, "No, it wasn't. Penny, that's our food supply. We depend on each other for survival. We all have to do our jobs. What would happen if those plants had died?
They weren't like her plants. Their growth rate was abysmally slow. They didn't purr like kittens when she cared for them. They didn't respond at all. They didn't love her. They didn't give her anything. They were essentially lifeless and a waste of time.
"I know, Dad," she dutifully responded, looking down. "It won't happen again."
XXXXX
Penny was putting the dishes away in the galley when Will came by.
He bragged, "I passed the history test this morning. Where were you?"
"Just out." She shrugged. She'd always done better than her brother at history so she wasn't worried. She'd take it later and rub in the fact that she'd once again gotten a higher score than him.
"You were probably off some place doing some dumb pretending."
"Shut up!" Penny's response was uncharacteristically harsh.
Concerned, Maureen approached the children. "Penny! That's not like you."
Stepping closer to her daughter, she noticed Penny hadn't combed her hair, once again. It was getting badly tangled. This had been going on for over a week now. She hadn't interfered, assuming it was a minor act of rebellion and that there would be more important battles to pick. There also were dark circles under her daughter's eyes. Maybe her cruel response to her brother was due to the fact that she wasn't feeling well.
"Are you okay, darling?" She raised a hand to touch Penny's cheek but the girl pulled away.
"Didn't you hear what he said? He deserved it, he was being horrid."
More firmly, Maureen responded, "That doesn't give you the right to treat others disrespectfully. Apologize to your brother."
Will stood by, smirking.
Maybe it was because of her headache. Or that she'd been so tired lately. Penny suddenly didn't care about her mother's feelings.
"No."
Taken aback, Maureen faltered.
Penny took advantage of her pause and ran to the ladder to climb to the upper deck of the spaceship.
XXXXX
Although she'd been exhausted, Penny woke abruptly from a sound sleep. With her blankets clutched about her, her ears strained. She'd thought she'd heard something.
Sitting up in her bunk, she listened carefully.
After several minutes had passed, she'd about convinced herself that she'd been dreaming. Then she heard it again.
It was the plants.
They were calling her.
They needed her.
Although it was the middle of the night, she hopped out of her bunk and grabbed her coat.
XXXXXXXX
With a flashlight in hand, Will led the way along the rocky trail with his parents and the Robot following closely behind.
"Penny!" Maureen yelled.
Her heart had been racing once she'd discovered that her daughter wasn't safely tucked in her bed. Don and Judy were searching west of the ship while Dr. Smith was waiting back at the Jupiter 2 in case Penny returned on her own. Will thought she might be by the stream so they were looking into that possibility.
It didn't make sense. There'd been no sign of a struggle in her cabin. She, John, Don and Judy had been seated outside at the table, playing cards. Surely they would've noticed anyone entering or leaving the space ship. Initially Maureen thought Penny might've been sleepwalking since she hadn't changed into her orange tunic but John noticed that she'd taken her coat.
Penny's behavior had been odd for the past two weeks. She'd thought her daughter was simply in that awkward period between childhood and adulthood. Where she wanted to play but her heart wasn't fully into it. Where she didn't really know what she wanted and that only time would work it out. She'd hoped that Penny's curtness with the family was just adolescent moodiness. As much as it broke her heart she'd tried not to make a big deal of it, hoping that Penny would work things out.
But what if she was wrong?
They arrived at the stream but there was still no sign of Penny.
Maureen sighed.
"Don't give up, darling," John assured her, while squeezing her hand. "We'll find her."
She paused. "What is that sound? Do you hear it?"
"Affirmative."
It was odd, high pitched screeching.
"Robot, can you determine the point of origin?" John asked.
"Affirmative"
"Take us there."
As they followed the stream, the noises grew louder. While it could've been attributed to a machine, it sounded strangely gleeful. And disturbing.
"John, I don't like this." Maureen shivered.
They followed the Robot to the cave opening. Professor Robinson was the first to enter, followed by Maureen, then Will.
The chamber was crammed with vines bearing white flowers. Even the walls and ceiling were covered. Many of the blossoms were huge – larger than prize winning pumpkins from a State Fair. A shimmery mist covered everything. The noise was coming from the plants. They appeared to be celebrating, swaying about, making an awful racket.
"Oh my God!"
Penny lay on the ground towards the back of the chamber. Vines were entwined about her arms, legs and torso. Flowers nestled against her, practically covering her like a blanket. When John tried to approach her, an enormous blossom moved into his path and completely opened, like a tulip, blocking any access.
Penny's eyes were closed. Her skin, which sparkled with pollen, was deathly pale.
"We have to get those things off of her! They're killing her!" Maureen screamed.
John used his laser pistol to blast the blossom blocking his way. It shrieked, then slumped, collapsing to the ground. The joyful sounds of the others became angry and other vines with equally large flowers started twisting their way. Huge blossoms also opened near Penny, surrounding her and blocking their access.
John went to use his laser again but Maureen said, "There's got to be a better way. For every flower you injure, more will block our way. Those vines are wrapping more tightly about her!"
"Dad! Can't we have the Robot shock the plants? He has more power and he can reach them from the door. Wouldn't it spread through all of them, since the vines are attached and be more effective?"
"True. But that might be extremely dangerous for your sister," John gravely responded.
"If they take the brunt of the charge, it could work."
John and Maureen looked at Penny. The vines were started to wrap about her neck.
"Do it!"
xxxx
Her head ached and her limbs felt leaden. And that wasn't the worst of it. She felt…different. As if something of vital importance was missing. With effort, she opened her eye lids. Peering through them, she realized she was in her bunk on the Jupiter 2. Her mother was seated beside her bed.
"Mom?"
Maureen rushed over to perch on the edge of her bunk. "Oh honey." She threw her arms about her.
As her mother pulled back, she asked, "What happened?" It hurt to move her head.
"Stay still, dear. You need to rest. You've been through a lot."
Penny's brain was working sluggishly. She noticed Maureen's hair was mussed and her eyes were puffy.
"What happened?"
When Maureen didn't answer right away, she added, "What aren't you telling me?"
Then she realized what had to have caused the horrible emptiness within her. Something had happened to the plants! She could no longer sense their comforting presence.
She stared at her mom.
Horrified, she cried, "You didn't!"
Her mother looked away.
"How could you? You don't understand. There was only one small flower when I discovered the cave. With so little light and moisture along with the thin soil, it was nearly dead. I brought them back to life! It was a miracle! They loved me! How could you destroy them? I thought you respected other life forms! How could you?"
"No, Penny, you don't understand. It's true. Those plants were alive because of you, all right. They were feeding off of you. The miracle is that you're still alive."
THE END