Sorghum and Stardust meet SproutFrom Sylvan Sanctuaries
The glade is teal, and the sky is the lightest lavender, as appears only in mornings of the latest Spring. It is only this way…
Author: Deborah Graham
Sort by category
Sort by category
The glade is teal, and the sky is the lightest lavender, as appears only in mornings of the latest Spring. It is only this way…
The glade is teal, and the sky is the lightest lavender, as appears only in mornings of the latest Spring. It is only this way because all east-facing slopes are covered with violets, irises, lilacs, and other flowers of such hues. The days of reds, oranges, yellows, greens, and blues already passed. As Spring runs her course, the sky of Lily Valley reflects the full light spectrum.
At this time of year, the valley's residents prepare for the time of Constant Glow, when there is so much light, that it cannot bounce, reflect, or refract anywhere. At this time, Stardust and Sorghum will have to collect all the light energy they can, to feed the pollen crystals. So right now, they are preparing.
"Where did you put that other case of acorn bowls?" Sorghum asks Stardust. "I think they were behind the barrel of calendula blossoms we collected last Thursday. Can you believe we're already a week into violet season? We better get the lac secretions in soon!"
"I know! If we don't get these acorn shells coated, we'll never reach our goal!" The goal here is quite an ambitious one, as predictions are high for pollen crystal prices this year. You see, the humans have taken quite a liking to adorning all of their world with beautiful colors, filling houses and stores with vibrant plant-life. By seeding the larger human-use flowers, the fae of Lily Valley are able to collect large petal panels for fashion. It doesn't matter that the pollen comes from minuscule pistils; the flora in the valley is POWERFUL!!
Currency in the valley works on a unit system, and Lily Valley Consulate Bank keeps track of everything. A value is assigned to a product by usefulness and desire, according to the vote of the Consul. This year, durable, shiny, and colorful flower petal dresses are at an all-time high! Sorghum's and Stardust's enterprise involves step one of this process. Since petal fashion prices are high, likewise are pollen crystal prices.
Two hours into cleaning, prepping, and sorting acorn bowls, the tiny ladies hear a sharp rap at the door. Sorghum peeks out and leaps three inches into the air. "It's the finch with the secretions! We can start coating the bowls!" Stardust glides across the room and embraces her partner, " We can do this! We'll get them ALL ready in time! We can move… to the bigger limb! Eeeee!" After an eternity of staring into each other's eyes and dreaming about all of the available futures and opportunities soon to be available, they embrace once more, tip the finch a sunflower seed, and set to work.
"I'll stoke the fire and start mixing the coating," Stardust announces. "I'll load up and bring the bowls," replies Sorghum. While both are strong, as need be for this work, Sorghum is the one with the broader shoulders and denser back, and more easily capable of transporting the heavy crates of wood. Stardust carries her share by being the best batch-mixer the valley has ever seen. Many believe it’s just her personal magick and the lac secretion, but only a few know that she always adds her own special blend of herbs to the kettle.
When they met during their Maximizing Agriculture class in Propagation Portals (their version of a technical college), they hit it off almost instantly, agreeing that orchids were the most beautiful flower, next to the passion fruit flower. This being the case, they normally get their acorn bowls ready during the blue season, in hopes of having some time to enjoy the violet together. This year, however, they simply must collect all they possibly can, especially as the lac secretions have not been arriving on time at all.
Of course, as it goes when you are super busy with an important project, the interruptions are relentless. First, Sorghum’s mom delivers poppy seeds that she had collected and stored since the red season. Next is their neighbor Luna, showing off her new forget-me-not skirt. But the fifth knock is the only one that makes them stop working or even slow down for a second. The fifth knock is very soft. Stardust stops stirring to be sure her ears aren’t playing tricks. Sorghum places the last crate of acorn bowls next to the dipping station and floats cautiously to the door.
Most visitors would approach loudly and cheerfully this time of year. A simple, “come in!” would suffice. A quiet knock though? Who or what could it be? Sorghum gestures for Stardust to stay behind her as she slowly cracks the door just enough to peak through…
Much to both of their surprise, there on their moss mat, stands the tiniest pixie either of them have ever seen. She blurts out that she knows they are busy and came to help. “My name is Sprout. I am the fastest crystal collector in Rose Falls, and I can see how short-supplied you are! Feel like hiring an apprentice?”
Short-supplied was an understatement. They had bins-full from each of the previous six color seasons, but finding time to collect crystals now seemed an insurmountable task. “You’re hired!” squeaks Stardust. In response to Sorghum’s narrowed eyes, she pleads, “Come on sweetie, you know she’s right! We work so hard, but if we’re going to reach our goals…” Sorghum sighs, “Why are you here, Sprout? Rose Falls is very far away.”
Sprout explains that once her mentor passed on, she was supposed to have become the new head of harvesting, but that she passed to scratch her itch for adventure. “I don’t plan to be here long,” she said, “but I am here now. Want my help?”
Sorghum and Stardust give each other one of those long-held gazes that indicates hours of discussion occurring in only minutes, then turn and speak in unison, “you’re hired.” Stardust breaks down compensation, paid through the Consulate for any supplies Sprout needs to restock before continuing along her way. Then, proceeds into instructions: “We have separate labeled stalls for each type of crystal toward the narrow part of the limb -I hope you’re nimble! Fill each one before moving on to the next, it’s the fastest way…”
“I can manage!” grinned Sprout. She doesn’t want to seem boastful, so she just holds her grins while recalling the season she set the crystal collection record at home by innovating the entire process. Just proclaiming that she is the fastest suffices. They will see soon enough anyway. “When do we get started?”
“As soon as you can!” Stardust replies gleefully, “but first, would you like some pumpkin seed muffins? You have traveled so far that you must be hungry!” She is right, of course, and Sprout devours three whole muffins before flying off to examine the storage stalls.
Both valley fairies stand briefly with mouths agape. Not only have they hired someone, but she sets to work immediately? This may be a very good season indeed! “Back to work!” they proclaim, again in unison. Stardust goes back to mixing, and Sorghum begins to prep the dry acorns at the dipping station.
Within three hours, 500 bowls are dipped and set to dry. Sprout calls from outside, “I’m back!” and walks through the door. “Do you think I could get a bit more to eat? I’m famished after loading those bins.”
“Bins?” wonders Sorghum. “You don’t mean to say you…?”
Sprout interrupts, “clover through lavender were difficult, until I installed the shoots, but everything flows nicely now. I’ll have to pick up with lilacs tomorrow though. I need to gather some supplies before dark.”
“Oh my!” Exclaims Stardust. “We forgot to talk about sleeping arrangements! You can stay in the spare room. There’s plenty of human-sized dandelion fluff and even hibiscus oil for your hair. No need to run to the roots for supplies just yet.”
Satisfied, Sprout relaxes and thoroughly enjoys the pre-dinner tour of her new temporary home. She is most excited about the room where the ladies encourage all visitors to paint on the wall using special petal dyes, that they make themselves from every flower in the valley, and immediately begins planning what she might create. Everything in Rose Falls is so much more rigid and less creative. The most interesting wall color allowable is to match the current sky, but it is so very time consuming to maintain. Next, is just clear with added moss. Otherwise, all color must come from roses. The options are limited.
Having imagined the comfort when she falls into the giant pile of fluff where she is to sleep, Sprout agrees to call it an early night after the sparkling spread, set across the table that evening. As you would guess, Stardust is an amazing chef, and Sorghum’s thumb is so green it’s almost blue! Sprout nearly melts out of her chair after one of the best feasts of her life, feeling three times larger. She thanks her generous hosts and floats off to bed.
Finally alone, the couple may now discuss their shock at the efficiency of their new helper. “How is it possible? She said she’s already up to lilac! We’re now days ahead of schedule!” proclaims Stardust. “I know, but I inspected her work myself,” responds Sorghum. “She has built some sort of gadget and installed it onto the stalls. It looks like some type of sorter… she must be able to just harvest multiple plant clusters at once! We can really do this now, baby,” she smiles shyly and leans in for a slow kiss.
At breakfast, they nearly have to tie Sprout to her chair; she is so eager to get to work. Once she sees the honey comb cakes topped with lavender sprigs and mint leaves, however… and then comes the tree-brewed raspberry syrup! A very full and once again sleepy Sprout then drops to the floor, twists herself into a variety of complex yoga positions, and hops up, energy fully restored. “See ya’ at lunchtime!” she calls almost melodically as she swings under the arch of the round doorway.
“If we’re going to keep up with her, then we better get started,” mumbles the brawnier fairy, as she begins to slide the sealed and dry bowls from the dipping station. She adeptly attaches the next batch to the grid work that holds the dangling bowls, while her silken-haired partner preps the next round of sealant.
Her hair is more transparent than the sealant, so much so that it often appears a pastel rainbow, as it refracts the intense light beams of their brilliant home. It was rainbow the day they met, and Sorghum has been mesmerized by it ever since. These close moments are her favorite, when she closes her eyes and remembers all the glorious days so far and visualizes those to come.
They finish all the bowls in stock at the exact time Stardust had planned to start preparing lunch, and Sorghum heads to the garden for additional special ingredients. This will be Sprout’s third meal, and first lunch, with them, and it is going to be something extra fantastic! After all the work Sprout has done already, it seems only right to offer a big welcome to the team. Lunch is the biggest meal for Valley folk anyway, and many guests are always to be expected. You either have guests or are one. Excited to introduce their new associate to friends and family, the guest-list for this meal, when unscrolled, comes to five inches long!
Stardust outdoes herself this time, with lime-zest jelly rolls, cashew with triple-berry roasted flank, huckleberry rose petal pie, peas with almond and beet flakes under a pomegranate drizzle, and tree-made honeysuckle nectar wine! Guests start rolling in several minutes early, but Sprout arrives directly on the hour. “Done!” she sings as she strolls through the circular entrance.
Both Stardust and Sorghum nearly drop their wine. “Done? What do you mean?” they ask together. Sprout explains that every bin is full and asks whether she should build more. Both are shocked, and they agree to discuss this after lunch, and commence the ceremony that citizens of the valley perform to introduce new guests. After two hours of singing and dancing, all eat until they glow the brilliant gold of happy fae. Festivities complete, the guests and their hosts exchange embraces and blessings as each part way.
Now, attention can turn back to industry. “Sprout,” says Sorghum, “when you said, ‘done,’ did you really mean...?”
“I’ve filled every bin. I can build more, if you want? There are still more crystals…”
Sorghum cuts her off. “No! It won’t matter unless we can get more coated acorn bowls... Our bowl bins are full, but… actually…" her eyes twinkle with the spark of a brilliant idea. "With your help, we should be able to double our delivery! Yes! Build more PLEASE! We can deliver, come back, and refill before delivering again, using each bowl TWICE!” Once again, the tiny creature rushes off to begin her mission.
So, Sprout builds more bins and the ladies collect more light energy in more pollen crystals than any three valley folk ever have before, easily earning more than enough to move to a larger and higher limb -one that includes the perfect space for any pixie guest who might be traveling through. It is a sad day when Sprout announces it’s time for her next adventure, but she promises to return no later than next harvest season. After a grand parting celebration, Sorghum and Stardust wish her well and watch until she is only the tiniest spark on the horizon. Stardust starts to prep the next meal, and Sorghum begins to engineer a device to increase acorn bowl production, taking cues from her new friend's elaborate sorting machine. This year was a great success, which means next season will be even bigger!
| Cookie | Duration | Description |
|---|---|---|
| cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". |
| cookielawinfo-checbox-functional | 11 months | The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". |
| cookielawinfo-checbox-others | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". |
| cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance | 11 months | This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". |
| viewed_cookie_policy | 11 months | The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data. |
There was a problem reporting this post.
Please confirm you want to block this member.
You will no longer be able to:
Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.