Chapter Three: A Strange and Interesting Plant
Tic-tock…
Tic-tock…
Tic-tock…
The clock kept slowly ticking as minute passed to hour and hour passed to minute. No one came into Mushnik's flower shop. Audrey spent the time filing various papers, mostly bills into one pile. Mr. Mushnik meanwhile spent time going over his inventory, perhaps looking at all his ferns and flowers maybe one would mysteriously get sold sometime today. Seymour on the other hand kept sweeping up the shop. There really wasn't too much to do today.
-0o0-
Martha Jones had finally changed out of the swim suit she wore and wore a top with a mini-skirt. Meanwhile the Doctor had wires and various bits of the TARDIS strewn all over the console room floor. He muttered, "Maybe she needs an overhaul. I haven't overhauled her since, a good three hundred years or so."
"Doctor…."
No answer. The Doctor was busy, sonic screwdriver in his hand trying to repair or perhaps even disrepair the TARDIS.
"Doctor…."
The Doctor heard Martha's voice and clunked his head on a bit of paneling. He cried out in pain and rubbed his sore head and looked up at Martha and smiled. She said to him, "Doctor, is this alright for the 1960's?"
The Doctor was still working on the TARDIS. "Hmm….oh….yes, it looks fine Martha."
"There has to be something wrong. I know I specifically put in for the California coastline.
Martha frowned, she had never seen the Doctor get worked up about the TARDIS so much to literally have the TARDIS torn and scattered all over the console room floor. "I don't care, Doctor. I am just happy to be wherever you take me."
The Doctor was scratching his head, a glob of oil from somewhere in the TARDIS made his hair stand up on end. "Well…normally I'd agree with you but…."
"But what Doctor?"
"It's complicated. You go out Martha and have a bit of fun. I'll join you later."
Martha was concerned, she had never seen the Doctor forgo a trip outside of the TARDIS; usually the Doctor dropped everything and went with her. If trying to figure out an error with the TARDIS was this important then it had to be serious.
"Doctor, please tell me what's wrong."
The Doctor sighed, "Thing is Martha, I am not even sure what's wrong. I must be getting old." The Doctor suddenly muttered, "I never use to be like this when I was younger. But I just have this feeling that something is off somehow. I guess I am just getting old. Old and jittery. I use to be less on edge when I was younger."
Martha nodded she didn't doubt the Doctor's feelings. Somehow the Doctor always knew when something was up. She supposed it was his Time Lord senses, she didn't know what the Doctor was like when he was younger, but it troubled him enough to mention it.
She then said, "Well sitting here and fretting over it isn't going to do us much good Doctor. Why don't we go out and get some ice cream. Then we can come back and worry about what's wrong with the TARDIS."
The Doctor grinned, "That's a wonderful idea Martha Jones. Why didn't I think of that before?"
Martha smiled, "Because you're too much of a worry wart."
The Doctor frowned, "Hey….I resent that. I am not a worry wart."
Martha grinned; she was glad to distract the Doctor some, he seemed so troubled and if she could get him to think of something else just for a little while it was well worth it. She shook her head, "Yes, you are…."
"No, I am not…."
-0o0-
6:00 PM
Mr. Mushnik looked up firmly from the counter and said to Audrey and Seymour, "6:00 and I haven't sold as much as a fern. Alright that's it." He pounded his hands down on the table in defeat and said, "Forget it, don't bother coming in tomorrow."
Audrey began to pout, "But Mr. Mushnik, you don't really mean that, do you?"
Seymour suddenly cried out, "But you can't."
Mr Mushnik shook his head, "What do you want me to do? It's over, kaput. That's it I am closing this God-forsaken place."
Seymour was nervous, he wasn't sure whether or not to tell him his idea, he shifted around a bit and then said, "Mr. Mushnik, I…I… I want to say, has it ever occurred to you that maybe we need to come up with a new direction for this store."
Audrey knew about Seymour's idea and said gently, "I think what Seymour is trying to say is…" She then paused and then said, "Seymour why don't you run downstairs and bring up that strange and interesting new plant you've been working on."
Seymour went downstairs to fetch the plant he was working on.
Audrey then said to Mr. Mushnik, "You see Mr. Mushnik, Seymour has been tinkering on this plant and we thought that maybe if we had a strange and interesting new plant prominently displayed in the right place and properly advertised might actually help the store."
Seymour came up from the basement carrying the plant in his hands, "I am afraid it isn't feeling very well today." He put it down on a table and Audrey stated, "There isn't that bizarre."
All three of them looked at the strange looking plant, Mr. Mushnik frowned, "Yes, very bizarre. Seymour, what kind of a plant is that?"
"I don't know, sir. I think it's some type of flytrap. But I can't identify it in any of my books. But I gave it my own name though; I call it the Audrey II. "
Audrey looked honored and said, "After me?"
"I hope you don't mind." Seymour said with a slight nervous tremor in his voice.
Audrey's hand went to her chest and she squeaked lightly.
Seymour took the plant up and moved it to the window, "You see sir, if we put out a strange and interesting plant here in the window, then maybe…"
Mr. Mushnik snorted, "Maybe….maybe what? Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds? Just because you put a strange and interesting plant in the window, people don't suddenly…."
The door suddenly opened and a fancy well to do man from uptown entered, "Excuse me, I couldn't help noticing that strange and interesting plant, what is it?"
Audrey smiled and said, "It's an Audrey II."
The man stated elatedly, "I have never seen anything like it before."
Seymour interjected, "No one has…"
He then asked, "Where did you get it?"
Seymour then said, "Well do you remember that total eclipse of the sun we had about a week ago…."
Da-doo,
I was walkin' in the wholesale flower district that day
Shoop da-doo,
and I passed by this place where this old Chinese man
Chang da-doo
he sometimes sells me weird and exotic cuttings,
Snip da-doo,
'cause he knows, you see, that strange plants are my hobby.
Da da da da da da-doo.
He didn't have anything unusual there that day.
Nope, da-doo,
so I was just about to, ya know, walk on by,
Good for you,
when suddenly,
Da doo
and without warning, there was this total eclipse of the sun.
It got very dark and there was this strange humming
sound like something from another world.
Da-doo,
And when the light came back this weird plant was just sitting there,
whoop-see-doo
just, you know, stuck in, among the zinnias.
Audrey Two.
I coulda sworn it hadn't been there before,
but the old Chinese man sold it to me anyways,
for a dollar ninety-five.
Sha la la, la la la, la la la loo.
The man then said, "Well that is an unusual story, and a fascinating plant." The man then proceeded to leave but he then turned around, "Oh while I am here I might as well take $50 worth of roses."
Mr. Mushnik's eyes widened, "$50!"
Audrey and Mr. Mushnik ran over quite ecstatic and ready to do business with the man. But suddenly the man said, "Can you break a $100?"
Mushnik and Audrey paused down hearted; they didn't have that much money on them to break a hundred dollar bill.
Mushnik repeated, "A $100?" And then said, "Ah no…"
The man held up the bill and said, "Well then I guess I'll have to pay for twice as many."
Seymour looked incredulously, "Twice as many!"
All of a suddenly the shop was a fervor of activity. People were buying roses and saying that they had all come into see the 'strange and interesting plant.'
A crowd was outside waiting to buy flowers...
-0o0-
Martha and the Doctor were walking by eating ice cream, they suddenly passed nearby the florist shop seeing a long line and the Doctor raised an eyebrow. Something wasn't right about this.
He tried to push his way through but was held back by the mob, he yelled out, "EXCUSE ME…."
The crowd suddenly dispersed and Martha and him entered the shop only to have Mr. Mushnik state, "We're closed, all our stock is sold out." Mr. Mushnik had a bad feeling about this guy and so he quickly put Audrey II in a drawer.
The Doctor frowned, "Really? That quick?"
Seymour nodded, "Yes, Doctor all because of…."
Mr. Mushnik gave Seymour a hard glance and Seymour kept his mouth closed. The Doctor put on his glasses and inspected around the shop. "You're saying that all of a sudden a flower shop on Skid Row suddenly is doing landmark business when you haven't had any before."
"Yes…." Mr. Mushnik said.
The Doctor grinned, "Okay…." He then smiled at Martha, "Come along Martha Jones." The Doctor and Martha left the shop. As they left the shop, Martha frowned, "Doctor, shouldn't we do something?"
"Soon enough, Martha Jones. There's something going on in that shop. I'll figure it out eventually. Right now….I really need to finish my repairs on the TARDIS."
-0o0-
Mr. Mushnik took the plant out of the drawer and handed it to Seymour, "Put that plant back in the window. What did you call it, Seymour?"
"Audrey II…"
"Well put Audrey II back in the window."
Seymour nodded, "Mr. Mushnik, why did you hide the plant from the Doctor?"
Mr. Mushnik snorted, "Because I know a busy body when I see one and we need Audrey II. If that plant can help us sell plants then we can't have someone like him see it and possibly buy it or steal it from us. Now my children, I am taking you all out to dinner tonight."
Audrey and Seymour looked elated; Mr. Mushnik never took them out to dinner before.
But then Audrey said, "I'd love to Mr. Mushnik, but I have a date."
Mr. Mushnik frowned, not that no good Orin Scrivello, "You mean with that no good Senor Scrivello."
"He's in medical, Mr. Mushnik."
"You'll need a complete medical after a date with him."
"But he makes good money, Mr. Mushnik. Besides he's the only fellow I've got."
Seymour looked disheartened. Audrey said, "Goodbye Seymour. Have a nice dinner."
"Good bye, Audrey…." Seymour said sadly. Audrey walked off down the street.
Mr. Mushnik sighed and shook his head at the retreating figure of Audrey, "Poor girl…."
"Are we still going out?" Seymour asked, and suddenly Audrey II drooped and looked as if it was near death.
"You're not going anywhere Krelborn, you're going to stay right here and work on that sick plant."
"I told you it was giving me trouble." Seymour examined his plant, "The Audrey II is not a healthy girl."
Mr. Mushnik took his coat off a hook and began to put it on preparing to leave, "Strictly between us, neither is the Audrey I."
"If only I knew what breed it was?"
"Who cares what breed it is, Seymour! Look what it's done for business."
"I know."
"To work, Seymour. Nurse this plant back to health. I am counting on you. So fix, goodnight."
He then left Seymour alone. Seymour sighed and went back downstairs to the basement and looked at his plant. "Ahh Audrey II, I don't know what else I can do for you. Are you sickly, little plant? Or are you just plain stubborn? What is it that you want?" He placed the plant down on his work bench, "What is it that you need?"
I've given you sunshine
I've given you dirt.
You've given me nothing
But heartache and hurt.
I'm beggin' you sweetly.
I'm down on my knees.
Oh, please-grow for me!
I've given you plant food
And water to sip.
I've given you potash.
You've given me zip.
Oh God, how I mist you
Oh pod, how you tease
Now, please-grow for me!
I've given you southern exposure
To get you to thrive.
I've pinched you back hard,
Like I'm s'posed ta.
You're barely alive.
I've tried you at levels of moisture
From desert to mud.
I've given you grow-lights
And mineral supplements.
What do you want from me- Blood?
Seymour was busy trimming some roses and he snagged his finger on a thorn, "Damn roses, damn thorns." His finger was bleeding and he stuck his finger in his mouth to stop the bleeding. He suddenly heard a strange sucking sound close by and turned to notice the plant, as if it was begging for a sip.
I've given you sunlight.
I've given you rain.
Looks like you're not happy,
'Less I open a vein.
I'll give you a few drops
If that'll appease.
He put his finger near it and it nearly snapped it off. His eyes went wide. He was careful this time and slowly began to feed the plant drops of his blood. The plant greedily sipped them up.
Oh Please
Now please-oh please-grow for me!
XXXXX
A/N: Sorry it has taken me so long to update this piece, but I wanted to make sure I had this down right before I progressed any further with it. Please R/R.