The Flower
The beautiful simplicity of a single Flower.
An old florist dragon held a simple flower in front of him as he looked on, deep in thought.
A flower is one of nature’s most delicate beauties, simple and elegant on the outside but also contains amazing power within.
Scientifically, a flower is the pinnacle of a plant’s life cycle. Drawing in nature, to pollinate collecting the needed information to begin life again. When a single flower dies, it grows many seeds. One seed produces many flowers, all with the same ability to multiply its species at extreme rates. There is great power held in a simple flower.
Not only is a flower fascinating scientifically, but a flower is also exquisite in design, saturated with color, layered in symmetrical perfection. Flowers captivate the observer with its bright colors, unique shapes, and aromatic scent. One can notice a flower from afar as it stands out against the background, contrasting bright colors against the lush greens of growth. But that distant beauty is only the beginning. If one takes the time to study a flower up close, the flower becomes a beautiful landscape of its own. Unique color patterns, shimmering silk like textures, with elegant, shaped pedals. A simple flower is a complex work of art at many levels.
But how does one simple flower… stand out against millions?
The old dragon lowered the flower he was holding in front of him. His eyes shifted from the lone flower in his claws to the thousands of wildflower wreaths, bouquets and garlands filling the streets of Hallador. Otukka meandered down the city street, watching the people filled with celebratory energy as attendees prepared for the excitement of the upcoming parade through the city of Hallador. It was common for vendors to wander the path of the parade before the Frilofest celebration started. As a long time florist, this pre-parade promenade was a lifelong tradition for Otukka.
Frilofest was the summer celebration that all residents looked forward to. They celebrated all things good and inspiring throughout the kingdom, a celebration of dragons and humans unifying together into one great civilization. It was a time to celebrate new life, new opportunities, and living life to its fullest during the summer months. One tradition was to decorate the streets and homes with collected flowers of all shapes and sizes. Over the centuries, as the celebration grew, more and more people decorated with floral arrangements, garlands, and other botanical creations filling the streets with floral aromas, weaved with lavender, rosemary and other aromatic plants, creating a symphony of senses throughout the city.
As traditions have grown, many vendors wander the parade path ahead of the scheduled celebration, selling their foods, trinkets, and collectables. Otukka traveled down the parade path for years, having run his flower shop most of his life. He remembers when he first started. There were fewer vendors back then. Residents lining the streets would purchase a bundle of flowers, whether it was to give to their children, weave tiaras and decorating their clothing. Residents loved collecting the flowers as part of their celebration.
It was a dream for Otukka to live in a world where everyone celebrated with flowers. He enjoyed nothing more than seeing the happiness that flowers brought to people. He loved being able to share his passion with the world.
But change is inevitable.
Otukka's passion for the beauty of botanicals inspired many others to develop the same passion for the floral arts.. Many others grew the same passion for the floral arts, a growth in an industry that Otukka would always encourage, and was part of training and teaching many other florists in the city. But it meant that Otukka wasn’t the only floral vendor anymore. As Otukka shared his passion for flowers, it inspired others to take an interest in it, leading to an increase in the number of people who celebrated with flowers. Adults, children, and youth prepared days before with the botanical accessories to their current fashion. The passion for flowers grew so much, the residents were no longer buying flowers as a last-minute purchase,
The old florist dragon didn’t mind as much. His business still did well with a surge of orders around Frilofest. Otukka didn’t even mind the other flower vendors walking the path of the parade. He enjoyed seeing friends and like-minded passions. But it was more than floral vendors taking part in the pre-parade celebration. There were all kinds of vendors. Otukka didn’t mind them either. But in a world with multiple vendors in one location, businesses had to stand out and draw the attention of the crowd. What once was a fun way to interact with the residents and customers that supported him, had now become a competition for attention.
Otukka disliked that evolution. Growth was inevitable, but he disliked the disconnection that came with such growth. He watched it grow for years, increasing more and more. He continued his tradition of walking the parade because he loved talking to his regulars. But as time passed, the streets filled with more and more youthful faces, more and more people he had never worked with, people that didn’t know him. To them, he was just another salesperson. Otukka hated the thought of being one of those shouting vendors. To him, it wasn’t about the business, to him it was about connection. Otukka wondered at what point he should stop the tradition.
Why would his flowers be anything different from the thousands of other flowers lining the street?
Otukka continued to meander the parade route. Smiling and nodding at others, looking for familiar faces. He would gesture his bouquets to those looking on. But people shook their heads with a smile. They were polite, but they already had all the flowers they needed. Otukka was just another salesperson on the parade route.
The old dragon thought again about the power of a simple flower. There was so much beauty in one flower, but nobody could see it. People acted like they valued flowers; it was a significant part of their celebratory tradition. But Otukka didn't believe people saw the unique beauty of each individual flower. He couldn’t blame them. The masses distracted them.
Then Otukka notice a little girl watching him as he strolled down the streetway.
He made a goofy face at her. She laughed. Otukka smiled. The little girl kept watching him. Otukka pulled out a flower waved it, then out of sheer spontaneity, he promenaded the flower alongside him as if the flower was walking with him along the parade route. Otukka mimicked a scandalous conversation with the flower, making faces and reactions as the flower seemingly told him all kinds of juicy details. The little girl laughed, pointing to the old dragon so her mother could see. She smiled along.
Otukka continued the miming when, unexpectedly to the girl and those watching, the dragon’s tail holding another flower entered the scene. Otukka continued the show, reacting to introducing a new floral character. One flower spoke to the next, then one rejected the other, then through an emotional tango of pantomimed actions and reactionary facial expressions, Otukka played out an imaginably spicy drama between the two flowers, ending in the happily ever after story of the two.
Those watching cheered and clapped. Otukka smiled with a slight bow. The dragon gestured to the little girl to take the flowers. Her eyes lit up, hopping over to take the flowers. Her mother encouraged the polite behavior, suggesting she only take one. The little girl plucked her favorite flower from the dragon’s claws, hopping back to her mother with the flower pressed to her nose.
Otukka smiled. Then he made a sad-looking face, giving the last remaining flower the appearance that it felt sad to be separated from its companion. Others laughed. The mother smiled with a laugh, expressing a thank you. She motioned her daughter to take the other flower. The little girl hopped with excitement to get the second flower, just as excited as she was to get the first. She handed her current flower to her baby brother, then, with a skip and a hop, she collected the one remaining flower from Otukka.
Otukka smiled and nodded to the mother. She smiled a thank you again. She didn't buy any flowers, but Otukka didn't mind. It was the interaction that he was longing for. Maybe the tradition of walking the parade route still had some life in it. He just had to look harder for his opportunities.
The florist dragon continued along the streetway, thinking to himself. Soon he passed by all those that witnessed his puppet show with the flowers. All the unfamiliar faces didn’t know who he was, or what he just did. Once again, he just looked like another salesperson walking the parade route.
But that’s when he realized that is the beauty of a flower. Most people don’t notice them. They allow the world to distract them, thinking flowers are common occurrences. But it’s not until you look real close you learn the intricate beauties of a flower.
How does a flower stand out in a crowd of millions? The florist dragon thought to himself. Otukka smiled. It’s not so much about how the flower looks, but the influence it has on the surrounding people.
The power of a simple flower.