DISCLAIMER: This licence isn't mine. The opinions express by the characters are not mine. I do not support nor encourage the illegal acts present here. I can make a distinction between fiction and reality and I trust in my readership's ability to do the same.

Chapter three: Perennials plants

As we saw it in the chapter two, Orange Blossom was in charge of every store in Strawberryland. Considering Blueberry Muffin's, Lemon Meringue's and Raspberry Torte's leaving, the bookshop, the hairdressing salon and the clothes store were aimed to close. Nonetheless, the four young girls had taken action: Orange's grocery had been extended, in a way it could now gathered all the stores in one place. As you will have realized, Orange Blossom's local shop had tuned into a real supermarket. It wasn't easy to manage it, and Orange needed soon assistance. Lucklily, she found devoted workmates in the persons of the Berrykins, who represented, after all, the major part of Strawberryland's inhabitants. So, Orange had hired Berrykins. Some of them were in charge of the cleaning, another group was responsible of the inventory, another group had to help the customers in the supermarket and to work the cash registers, and the last group was volunteering for the tidying. Orange Blossom didn't want to be left out: she handled the accounting, analyzed the trends to supply her shop, placed all the orders and took delivery of the packages. The shop opened each morning at 9:00 am, and closed at 7:00 pm. For all of them, it was really a hard work, but they were quite well organized.

This morning, Orange Blossom arrived at the shop at 8:50 am, like every morning, and greeted all of her workmates who were already here for the opening. All? Not really. Berrykin Matt was missing.

-There's no big deal, Orange thought. "He'll be here at 9:00 am".

But, ten minutes later, Matt wasn't yet at the store. Orange Blossom didn't worry about that. The employees could be late, sometimes. She checked that every Berrykin was at his appointment, and joined her office to start her own fascinating task: counting the bills.

When Orange Blossom thought she deserved a break, it was 11:00 am. She went to the shop and asked to the others Berrykins:

-Is Berrykin Matt here?

-No! Three of them answered.

Orange Blossom frowned. Matt had a two hours delay and he hadn't even let her know it! She grabbed her mobile phone and called her friend Strawberry Shortcake: the Berrykins used to have breakfast at the Berry Bitty Café before going to work. But Strawberry hadn't either seen him since 7:30 am.

-Matt must be lazing around with other Berrykins, she thought angrily, while she was sipping a cup of coffee. "However, he knows we need him… Nowadays people are really disrespectful."

She finished her coffee and came back to her desk.

Orange Blossom was finishing making sure the Berrykins at the cash registers hadn't made any error of transaction during the week when she saw something interesting through the window of her office. It was bright blue task, rushing low to the ground.

-Berrykin Matt condescends to go to work, Orange thought sarcastically. "Maybe he hopes he could reach his post before I noticed his absence? That's a rough error."

And Orange stationed herself next to the main entry, ready to intercept the tardy employee and give him a good telling off. When the doors finally opened onto Matt's blue body, Orange Blossom started to shout: "Berrykin Matt! Are you aware you're supposed to be here at 9:00am?" in the curter way she could, but she stopped abruptly when she noticed how distraught and shaken he was. He had bloodshot eyes, he had certainly cried. He was panting.

-Berrykin Matt, what happened to you? She asked with a nicer voice, while the others Berrykins were gathering around them (ones wanted to know why their workmate was so late, and the other ones only wanted to see the fight).

-Be-Berrykin…, he sluttered.

-Yes, Berrykin what?

Matt took at deep breath to calm down and said in one breath, looking Orange Blossom in the eyes:

-Berrykin Bloom had a fainting fit this morning.

Berrykin Matt told Orange Blossom the whole story as they were going to Dr. Hazel Nutby's office: He saw Berrykin Bloom as he was leaving the Café, watering his strawberry plants, as always. But something strange had happened: Berrykin Bloom had suddenly stood still and tumbled. At first, Matt thought he had lost his balance and needed assistance to get up, but when he reached him… he noticed Berrykin Bloom wasn't breathing anymore.

-I immediately called for help; Matt said in sniffing, "Gave him mouth-to-mouth and made a heart massage. When Dr. Hazel arrived, she took his pulse and transported him to her office. I… decided to follow them to check if…" He couldn't finish his sentence.

-He's still alive thanks to you, Orange Blossom said nicely. "Here we are."

All the Berrykins who were working at the store had decided to follow them, too. Orange Blossom could understand them: Berrykin Bloom was like a grandfather for them, it was normal they felt worried about him. For the moment, he was lying on a tiny bed, pale and having drawn features, but conscious and still optimistic. Orange Blossom put the doctor away and asked her:

-What happened?

-Heart attack.

Orange gasped. She had sensed it, according to Matt's description, but it was something else to hear that diagnosis from the doctor's mouth.

-How is he now? She asked feverishly. "Do you think…?"

-He's fine. All that he needs is rest.

-Is that everything?

The doctor took a glance at the other Berrykins and added, in a hushed voice:

-His pulse is rather low. I think his heart isn't beating hard enough. If that's the case, Berrykin Bloom will need a pacemaker.

-You mean a heart operation?

-Yes.

Orange Blossom bit her lips, dreamily. She was wondering if he could stand such surgery, taking his advanced age into account.

-Well, there's Berry Big City's Hospital…

-It can't receive Berrykins.

-Why?

-You know Berrkins are so tiny… they need special medical devices, adapted to their size, but the hospitals who take this into account are rare. You can't perform surgery on a Berrykin with a scalpel for humans, because it's too large for him and it would rip his skin to shreds. For them, you need laser surgery, with lasers thinnest than a hair. Berry Bitty City Hospital has only scalpels for humans.

Orange Blossom had listened to Dr. Hazel Nutby with great patience, even if her angst was increasing by so many injustices.

-Alright. If Berrykin Bloom needs an operation, where could we send him?

-In Bubblegum Valley Hospital, for example. But… You have to know this kind of surgery is berry expensive. Berry berry expensive.

-How many?

-A total with four zeros.

Orange Blossom sighed.

-I understand. Thank you for telling me this.

She stared at Berrykin Bloom, who was reassuring the young Berrykins about his condition.

-Does he know about it?

-Yes. He put up with this new with a lot of stoicism.

Orange Blossom could recognize Berrykin Bloom, so generous and altruistic, always ready to lend a helping hand… and to sacrifice his own free time for the others. She met the Berrykins gathered around his bed and said:

-Can I talk with Berrykin Bloom in private for a moment, please?

-Of course miss Blossom! The Berrykins cried.

Orange Blossom waited for the room being totally empty. Then…

-Doctor Hazel told you about your heart attack?

-Yes. Really, it was nothing. There's no need to be worried to death.

-I was talking about the pacemaker.

-The pacemaker… of course. You see, miss Blossom, I can't even remember how old I am. This attack may mean my time has come to an end.

-Don't say that!

-I perfectly know you can never afford for my operation, and I don't care about that. Strawberryland is more important than my little life. So, use your money in doing more useful things than trying to save an old man like me.

Orange Blossom stayed quiet.

-Have you ever heard about perennials plants? Their bulbs rise each spring. But, sometimes, the bulb is too old and the plant can't come alive again. I think we're all perennials plants. When you're too old, you're too old. That's life.

Then, realizing what he just said, he tried to redeem himself:

-I mean... The doctor said I need rest and a better living hygiene? I'll simply follow her advices and it won't cost you a dime. It must work. I'll prove her a trusty-of-the-name Berrykin don't need technology.

At noon time, Orange Blossom came to the Berry Bitty Café to take away the sandwich Strawberry Shortcake had put aside for her. The Café was full of Berrykins having lunch, and Angel Cake had to run around like a headless chicken to serve the customers (Strawberry Shortcake and her were in charge of the table service or the cooking by turns). The Café was, as always, noisy, but it wasn't just as joyful as usual: The news of Berrykin Bloom's fainting fit had spread like wildfire and was at the heart of all the conversations. Orange met Strawberry in the kitchen to grab her sandwich, but Strawberry guessed Orange was here or something else.

-Are you still thinking about Berrykin Bloom? She asked. "You know him; he's indefatigable. He'll be on his feet in no time."

-That's not the point! Orange shouted. "I talked with Dr. Hazel Nutby this morning and I learnt something alarming: Berrykins haven't access to health and education."

-They have, Strawberry answered, surprised. "Sometimes we give lessons to the babies and Dr. Hazel knows how to treat them when they are sick."

Orange Blossom sighed loudly.

-They have it here, because we pay attention to their conditions of life. But do you know what happens in the other cities? How can you tell for sure that the Berrykins in Berry Big City, or, why not, in Bubblegum Valley are respected… and not treated like machines unable to think or suffer, and have to bear the worst treatments? She cried.

Shocked, Strawberry Shortcake couldn't answer.

-I'm sorry, Orange said, calmed down. "I didn't want to scare you. I mean… There are neither schools nor hospitals fully adapted for Berrykins' size, because only a few people take them into consideration. In the best case scenario, they have to share them with humans. Berrykin Bloom should retire, but he can't because any Berrykin has the abilities for succeed him. So, he would have to form one of them, and spend his energy instead of saving it. There are no schools for Berrykins, because we think they aren't able to study… this morning, when I saw Matt was late, I thought he was having fun with his friends, instead of considering the facts he could be ill, or he may had an accident… because I considered Berrykins couldn't be ill nor wounded."

Strawberry Shortcake whistled.

-That's a real problem. What can we do?

-First, find people, humans or anthropomorphic animals who would accept to take some Berrykins into apprenticeship, to teach them medicine, biology, agronomics, and so on and so forth. Secondly, build tiny schools, "Berrykin-sized". Thirdly, make sure the learned Berrykins teach their knowledge to the others. Like that, the Berrykins' community will be totally independent.

Strawberry nodded.

-That's a huge project. Who will apply it?

Orange Blossom swelled up and said, smiling:

-Me.

To be continued…