Frit was in the garden, again. It was past sunset and she had snuck carefully out, so no one would see her. For some reason people didn't think freshlings should go out at night, or on their own, or anywhere interesting. It was a problem Frit had often. There were places she wanted to go, but this whole permission thing was a real disappointment. So tonight Frit scoffed at "permission" and simply snuck out herself. It was a grand thing, the pillows she had carefully arranged to make look like a sleeping freshling, the way she had maneuvered through the halls, not waking up any of her other room mates, how she had opened the door without a squeak, it was genius. Frit sat on a bench in her favorite park, admiring how the plants looked in the moonlight. Frit sighed, she wanted to be out at all hours learning, experimenting, exploring! She loved it, if only they would just leave her alone to explore and study. Frit sighed and pulled out her camera. Flipping it over she took a selfie of herself and her favorite plant in the park, a big fern. She wanted to do this forever.
"Use leftover tea and coffee grounds to acidify the soil of acid-loving plants such as azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, gardenias and even blueberries. A light sprinkling of about one-quarter of an inch applied once a month will keep the pH of the soil on the acidic side." Frit also ripped out this one. Information was information, even if she didn't quite know what "coffee" was.
Fit pulled out her book of gardening tips. She enjoyed reading these over, even if they were not exactly scientifically proven. "To prevent accumulating dirt under your fingernails while you work in the garden, draw your fingernails across a bar of soap and you'll effectively seal the undersides of your nails so dirt can't collect beneath them. Then, after you've finished in the garden, use a nailbrush to remove the soap and your nails will be sparkling clean." Frit looked at the tip. What did she care about her finger nails?! Oh well, it was still information, information she could use if needed.
"Got aphids? You can control them with a strong blast of water from the hose or with insecticidal soap. But here's another suggestion, one that's a lot more fun; get some tape! Wrap a wide strip of tape around your hand, sticky side out, and pat the leaves of plants infested with aphids. Concentrate on the undersides of leaves, because that's where the little buggers like to hide." Frit frowned, yes aphids were terrible! The nightmare tore out that page of the book to save for later. It was a library book, and apparently those were supposed to be returned or something.
Frit stood up and ran, her camera held tight in her arms. The dark made the world feel new, unknown, strange. A new place to explore! That was what Frit really wanted to find, a new place, a new dream, something exciting. The nightmare giggled as she rolled into the grass, enjoying the soft, wet dew on her skin. This was freedom, and she wanted it.
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