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 Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 2:47 pm
Journal Entry: The Garden Venture
Most people enter their backyard gardens with a spade, watering can, and gloves. Brian O'Riley, on the other hand, ventured into his own equipped with machetes, army fatigues, and a hand gun. An AK-47, or something to that effect, would have been more appropriate, but he didn't have the luxury of owning such a protection device. Considering the state of his 'garden,' it would have been extremely helpful.
Despite Brian's already massive height, the foliage dwarfed him at the border, blocking his entry. He sighed, scratching his stubbly chin. The harshest plants just had to grow on the edges. A particularly vicious-looking one prepared its sharp-edged leaves, prepared to fight to the death to keep the nasty human from entering their domain. Brian always wondered which chemicals created these ones, because then at least he'd stop dumping them out here. Fortunately enough, plants didn't move very fast. With a quick flick of his wrist he sliced off the prickly leaves, causing the plants to curl back. They closed behind him, locking him in the hostile jungle.
Four gun shots, three distressed cries for help, two broken machetes, and a broken nose later, Brian emerged with an armful of various pieces of plants.
"The things I go through to cook," he muttered, trying to ignore the pain radiating through his entire face. That was the third time that stupid tree had broken it this month! Next time he decided he was going to bring in the chain saw. Maybe a sledgehammer. However, he had been victorious. This batch would last him for at least the next week.
He lumbered into his home through the back door, which connected to the kitchen. With a grunt he dumped the plants in the sink, running water over them to wash off the excess dirt and blood. Figuring he'd let the sink fill, he hastily grabbed a paper towel to plug his nose, grimacing at the thought of having to reposition it again. He'd gotten quite good at it by now, though. Not exactly a skill he's proud of, but it helps. Holding the paper towel to his nose with one hand, he gazed over his spoils...
...and saw something that looked slightly out of place.
With his free hand he removed a fairly normal looking leaf, the strangeness lying in its normalcy. He couldn't remember producing anything that remotely resembled an ordinary plant or tree. After standing there blinking at it for a couple seconds, he shrugged.
"Probably just drifted in," he said to himself, though his speech was somewhat garbled from his plugged nose. Nevertheless, he placed the perfectly ordinary-looking leaf on the counter with everything else. Part of him considered just throwing the thing away, but another part compelled him to keep it. For all he knew it could just look ordinary. He'd have to study it later. Right now he had a nose to fix...again.
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Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:47 am
Journal Entry: Enter Senile Old Man
Just another normal day on the ranch.
BANG! BANG!
"Brian! Open this godforsaken door right this instant!"
Or not.
"I know you're in there!"
Brian awoke with a snort, having fallen asleep on the couch, complete with a magazine draped over his face. The incessant knocking refused to stop, just as the scratchy old voice continued to yell through the door. In his waking stupor, he scratched his head while wondering who could possibly want to see him badly enough to knock his front door down. That voice did sound vaguely familiar.
"Granpappy?" he rubbed his eyes, pushing his large body to his feet.
"I'll use my cane as a battering ram. I swear it!"
"Hold on, hold on," Brian called toward the closed door, yawning like a bear after hibernation. While he taller than the door itself, the man behind the wood looked like a midget. Or at least a hunched over, normal-sized person. The bald, hunchbacked creature--as it seemed--stared up at him with beady eyes, clicking its dentures together. A gnarled hand grasped an old wooden cane that looked ready to snap at any instant. Next to it was a large suitcase.
"Er...pappy?" Brian looked back and forth once between the suitcase and his decrepit grandfather, hoping that would ask his questions for him. Pappy merely huffed, and put his one free hand on his bony hip.
"Your grandmother," he said, as if that answered all inquiries. The sad part: it did.
"You two fought again?" Brian groaned, opening the door wider and motioning for the old man to come inside. His grandparents had a long history of leaving each other in absolute rage, and then reuniting as true lovers after about three weeks. They only divorced twice before they realized that the lawyers were getting too expensive, and decided to live their lives as a married couple with severe issues. Unfortunately, that usually meant that some poor relative had to take in one of the two ornery grandparents. Usually Pappy was the uninvited house guest, with Brian as the obligatory host.
Pappy huffed again with a growl, not focusing on much more than his own anger. "I swear, that woman will be the death of me."
"I'm guessing you want your usual room?" Brian asked, trying to be cordial as he motioned toward the hallway with the guest rooms. Instead Pappy waved him off.
"I want some food, dammit. Some real food. That witch back home keeps denying me the good stuff."
"She's just looking out for your health--"
"Don't start talking to me about health, boy! Just give me something covered in salt and grease."
Brian scrunched his nose up in distaste, but nevertheless relented to the request. He led the old man to the kitchen, pass the counter where the strangely normal leaf still laid. As far as he could tell, the leaf had no special qualities to make it different than any ordinary plant. The only abnormality he could find--which he was sure was a figment of his imagination--was that it seemed to almost wiggle when he held it, as if trying to prove that it was special, that it was different. He told himself that this was his mind wanting the leaf to be special. Might as well be done with it and use it as a decorative topping on a meal.
"How does a nice hamburger sound?" Brian asked Pappy with a hopeful glint in his eye. While he abhorred making anything related to fast food, it was better than having to play 20 Questions to find out exactly what Pappy wanted. Plus if he wanted salt and grease, hamburger was definitely the way to go.
"Mmmm..." was the reply, which Brian took as a yes. He gestured for the old man to take a seat at the table while he cooked. Within the next twenty minutes, he had a homemade hamburger--covered in salt and grease--ready for eating. As an afterthought, he grabbed the normal leaf and stuck it in between the bun and the patty. Hopefully it would pass as something close to lettuce. He slid the plate toward his grandfather, taking his own chair.
"Hopefully it's to your liking," he smiled. His cooking rarely failed, though he didn't have much practice with simpler foods. Pappy sniffed the burger, analyzing it by way of nasal sensations. Sighing his approval, he picked it up and brought it to his mouth. Brian felt relieved. But not for long.
"What is this?" Pappy demanded, thrusting the burger back on the plate. The leaf was between his fingers, miraculously unharmed. "Are you trying to impose your 'healthy-food' on me too?"
Brian brought his hands up to his chest in defense from the sharp onslaught of words. "N-no! Of course not! I just thought it make it taste better."
"Well I don't need your stinkin' green things ruining my food!"
He tried throwing down the leaf, but instead of smashing it onto the table it whisked out of his gnarled fingers. It flitted its way across the table toward Brian, where it floated gently to a rest in front of the giant man. Brian blinked. Pappy gaped. His dentures fell out.
"Let me help you with those!" Brian said, shaking himself out of shock to painstakingly climb under the table to retrieve the fake teeth. "I told you, you've got to take better care of those if you want them to stay in your mouth. Have you been cleaning them regularly?"
Pappy waved off the questions, but gratefully snatched the dentures from his grandson's hands and popped them back in his mouth.
"Care to explain why you put a damn free-floating leaf in my food? You trying to kill your old Pappy?!"
Brian blinked again. "I swear I thought it was normal--!"
"You probably took that from your stupid monster pen outside!"
"But I--"
"Enough!" Pappy huffed, grabbing his cane to get down from his chair. "You've made me tired. I'm going to go take a nap, so don't wake me up."
And with that, the old man hobbled off toward his usual room in the back of the house, leaving Brian in a stupor. Too many things happening at once. He looked back at the leaf. This one was a keeper until he figured out exactly what the heck was going on.
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Posted: Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:34 pm
Dear Diary Entry: What The Heck Is Going On?
Dear Diary,
The past couple of days have been...strange to say the least. Something in my garden broke my nose again, I found a 'normal' leaf that I'm starting to think isn't so normal, and my grandfather has gone crazy and is staying at my place...again. It wouldn't be so bad, except for the constant yelling and complaining. He hates this. He can't stand that. His bedsheets aren't soft enough. The mattress isn't firm enough. The food's great, but more unhealthy stuff to clog his arteries please. Why do I do this to myself? Oh yeah, because I'm a doormat. A nearly seven-foot tall doormat.
But this leaf intrigues me. I'm almost positive it was just a coincidental breeze that made it float toward me like that--the windows were open after all. However, part of me wishes that it actually did it on its own. I mean, I've created semi-sentient plants before, why not a semi-sentient leaf? It'd just be one more thing to add to my list of botanical 'accomplishments.' Unfortunately Pappy's insisting that it was just a freak act of nature. That's just like him. He's probably right though.
Speak of the devil, the old man's got himself stuck in the bathroom again. I probably should go help...
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Posted: Fri Aug 31, 2007 7:31 pm
Remiyah I think it would be better if I were no longer considered a guardian. The concept was one I came up with almost a year ago, so I don't have much connection with it anymore. I've been thinking about it for months to see if I could pull up any inspiration, but it hasn't come and I've been too intimidated to post in the main thread since I haven't posted in so long. I'm also swamped with managing other shops that I co-own, and while I would love to try to be part of Eden again, I don't think I have the time or mental energy.
Eira never got past the leaf stage, so I think it might be best for her to be 'killed off' and open the option for a snowy owl leaf to someone else. Or just delete my journal and pretend like she never existed, since I never got the chance to interact with any of the other guardians. I highly doubt anyone remembers that I even have an Eden xD;;
Even though I was only active for a short time, I enjoyed what little I did at Eden. I hope Lena feels better soon, and I wish the best for the shop. Good luck with the artist search! RIP Eira: 8/31/07
The leaf has wilted, the spirit gone out of it.
Back to the tree.
Back to the beginning.
Back to the tree.
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