Hello! You probably think I'm Madz, but I'm actually Random Dawn 14. Madz and I decided to do a 100 themes challenge together; I'm writing the odd numbered chapters and she's writing the even numbered chapters. Now that you know that, you (hopefully) won't get confused!
I know I've said before that I'm taking a break from the Mario fandom, but this seemed like a really fun idea, so I guess I'm back for now?
Anyway, here's the first one-shot theme, Flowers.
He came into the little flower shop every week on Fridays. With a bit of money out of his new paycheck, the red-hatted Toad bought a potted flower. Every week it was different kind of flower; be it a rose, a lily, or a tulip. Every week it was a different color of a different flower.
The girl couldn't imagine what he did with so many flowers. A lucky girl, perhaps? It wasn't her business to know, however, so every week she showed him a new flower without any questions. The most she ever said to him was, "Welcome back." "Here's a nice flower." "Thank you. Have a nice day!"
Just what could one Toad do with so many flowers? He had been dropping by every week since she had started working in the shop about seven months ago. If they were for a girl, the man must love her a lot to buy a flower for her every week. The pink-hatted young lady was very curious, but it wouldn't be her place to ask.
The young woman had many regular customers, like the young high school student who was courting a classmate, and the elderly widow who bought fresh roses once a month for her deceased husband's grave. But none of them interested her like the Toad who came every Friday.
It was Friday afternoon again, and the man was walking in right on time.
"Welcome back," the woman greeted. "I have just the flower for you this week." She reached down and picked up the potted flower she had set aside. It was a Jacob's Ladder. The blossoms hung down on the stem of the plant, looking like tiny bells.
The man looked it over before nodded as he always did and said, "Perfect. I'll take it."
While she was ringing up his purchase, she thought about the first week he came to buy a flower. He had said to her, "Toadette, why do you work in this little shop?"
Toadette, for that was the young woman's name, was surprised, but had answered, "Because I enjoy the flowers."
"Yes, the flowers are nice. But for years music was your passion. Why is it all about the flowers now?"
"Because it was time for a change of pace."
"But you are happy working here?"
"I'm very happy working here. My only regret is that I work so often I don't have the time for a garden of my own." It saddened her to be among so many flowers all day long without the privilege of being able to arrange them as she wished.
"I see..." The man had looked thoughtful. "Why do you not make the shop your garden?"
"If this were my garden I would mix all of the flowers together in colorful groups. No two flowers in a group would be the same type or color. It would be beautiful, but my manager would not like it. Nobody would be able to find what they're looking for."
"I understand."
Toadette snapped out of her thought as the man paid what he owed and took his flower. "Thank you for the lovely flower."
"Thank you. Have a nice day and come again soon!"
She watched him leave and wondered why he had chosen to make conversation on that day. She wondered again what he did with all the flowers, and told herself again it didn't concern her.
The next day was Saturday, which was the busiest day of a holiday-free week. But she only worked for a half-day because it was her birthday. Even on such a chilly November morning quite a few people wanted to shop for flowers. Maybe they wanted something to make them think of spring to help them get through the cold winter.
She left the shop a quarter to twelve. Wrapping a scarf around her neck, she went out the door and found someone waiting for her.
"Hello, Toadette," they said with a smile. "Happy birthday." It was the red-hatted Toad who came to the shop every Friday. In the shop he was just another customer, but out in the world, he was her brother.
She smiled in return. "Hello, Toad. Thank you. What are you doing here?"
"I just thought I'd treat my sister to lunch on her birthday; that's all."
He took her to his house, where she found he had lunch in the oven.
"It smells good," Toadette said. "Is it lasagna?"
"Yes. It won't be ready for about ten more minutes, so I want to show you something."
He took her hand and led her to his guest bedroom. She wondered what he could want to show her.
He flung the door open and shouted, "Surprise!"
Toadette gasped. The room was filled with flowers. Flowers from the shop she worked at. The shop that Toad visited every week.
"W-what is this? I thought...I thought you were buying these for a girl."
Toad laughed. "I was. Just not the girl you expected. When I saw how much you loved working with flowers, I decided the best birthday gift I could give to you would be a garden. I know you don't have enough time to plant more than a few flowers around your own house, but maybe when spring comes, we could plant all of these together?"
"I would like that a lot." Toadette threw her arms around her brother in a hug. "Thank you, Toad. This is the best gift ever."