Viola opened her eyes and yawned. Well rested, she rolled around in the warm grass and adjusted her eyes to the brightness of her surroundings. "Hello, lazy morning." Viola looked around and saw no one around her.
I guess everyone got up already... Maybe I'll go for a walk, she thought. Nibbling at the grass around her, Viola slowly got up onto her feet and walked over to the nearest treeline.
Maybe I'll collect flowers or something. Maybe I'll create a flower crown! And complete with twigs for stability, of course! Or maybe I'll create a flower necklace... I don't know... maybe I'll find some cool leaves, too. I bet they'd look good on either a crown or a necklace. Her thoughts scattered and creative juices pumping through her veins, Viola ventured into the forest.
As she walked, she plucked daisies, petunias, morning glories, leaves, and sticks of various sizes and shapes. Then she saw it. An ordinary-looking flower with delicate pink petals growing out from behind a rock. But something was off about it... It was... moving?!
Viola cautiously approached the flower. Then she saw something. It looked like it had... teeth? I've heard of venus fly traps... but this is ridiculous, Viola thought as she inspected the pearly white teeth decorating the center of the flower. Then a tongue came out and licked its white chompers. emotion_0A0 Viola froze in fear. What is that thing?!
(Similar to what Viola saw. Imagine pink petals around the mouth.)
Maybe I should touch it? No, no, don't be silly. That thing has teeth! Pearly white teeth! And a tongue! Don't touch it.. Viola, full of curiosity, just couldn't resist. She had to touch it... somehow.
Viola scattered her collection of flowers, twigs, and leaves on the ground. "Okay, so let's see... What can I use?" Viola picked up the longest twig and examined it, and determined that it is too short. "No... I want to be farther away from the flower when I poke it."
Viola resorted to looking for a longer twig. As she searched the forest floor, she heard chirping at a close distance. Is that a bird? I wonder what kind of bird that is. Viola wondered.
She looked over where she heard the chirping and saw a small sparrow circling the strange flower. The flower's tongue lay flat, and its mouth was held very still as if the flower somehow noticed the bird and did not want to scare it. After moments of contemplation, the bird landed in the center of the flower's tongue. Then suddenly... snap! The moth closed, and the sparrow was gone. 🪶
Viola's mouth dropped. This flower ATE a bird?? "I can't believe it!" Viola exclaimed.
Then the flower opened its jaws and revealed the lifeless bird. Viola couldn't believe her eyes. She couldn't believe that something so dainty-looking could be so violent and deadly. 💀 "And I was going to poke that," she said incredulously as she shook her head.
Suddenly, "OW!" Viola scratched her left leg on a thorny bush. Blood oozed out of her cuts, and she frowned. "Well, at least I didn't get eaten alive," she said to herself as she tried to stop the blood with her right elbow. But the blood kept flowing. They aren't ordinary cuts... they look rather deep. Viola thought as she became a little worried. Blood continued to flow, and she became desperate to stop it. She scanned her surroundings for anything she could use to stop the blood. Then she saw large, soft-looking leaves hanging just out of reach, straight in front of her. Ah! Perfect! I'll use one of those! Viola thought as she reached over to grab a leaf.
Then... SNAP! The flower seemed to have detected Viola's blood and bit down on her wound.
Viola's eyes grew wide as the pain grew worse in her left leg. And before she could let out a scream, the flower bit down on the wound again and again, and again... Viola screamed as loudly as she could and began to shake her left leg in the hopes that the flower would release its grip. The flower didn't let up and continued to gnaw at her left leg for what seemed like an eternity.
Suddenly, the flower released its grip on her leg. Viola shook and drew her leg back. Her leg was very sore, and she was terrified to look at the damage.
When she worked up the courage to glance at her leg, she couldn't believe her eyes. Her leg was healed. It was very, very sore, but it was healed. The cuts were all gone!
One hard bite and it kills... multiple softer (but still painful) bites and it... heals?! That's so weird!
Viola, full of fear and pain, wobbled away from the flower and back to her pack to tell everyone about this enigmatic flower.
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