Heritage Fruits

Summer

-Cheerless warmth-

Sola basks in the sun, her body and leaves awash with its love. As she lies upon herself, she stares at the empty houses just past the edge of her clearing. The silence of her world, punctuated with the low hums and chirps of insects in their last throws before winter. Peace, broken with the snapping of a branch.

With a languid turn, Sola turns in her leaves. Her dark green skin, shining with chlorophyll, catches the light in a way she hopes will dazzle this intruder. “Hmm, a visitor perhaps?” She asks no one in particular, assuming it merely another deer looking to turn her body into lunch. When she sees a human, no less than 10 feet from her, she yelps.

If she could jump, she would, but her roots, as always, keep her firmly planted in place. Regaining composure, she leans forward with a sultry look, acting as if it was intentional. “To what do I owe the honor of a visit?” She questions, her voice full of practiced mystique. The person before Sola, a young man no more than 20, dressed in hiking gear with a twinkle in his eyes, stares before composing himself too.

“Ah, um, my apologies for startling you.” The man’s stutter belies his intentions. Clearly, he expected no one but foliage here, too. Nervously, he looks around. “Besides yourself at my beauty?” Sola teases. “Come closer then, I’ll show you how beautiful I am.” Sola punctuates her words with tendrils dripping with nectar rising from her bud. With the warmth all around them, her words are strangely chilly, almost half-hearted. “But, first, your name please.” She asks.

“Ah, it’s Ryan.” He says with a blush. Continuing to look around, he seems concerned. “Are you… alone out here?” Ryan’s question forces Sola’s smile to falter for a moment before she regains composure. “But of course!” She boasts. “I had to drive off intruders to this forest, for I am its protector.” Sola stands tall as she says this, as if she was some grand hero of yore.

Ryan bites his lip, as if stopping himself from blurting a secret. “B-but of course!” He says playing along, hands raised. “Then o protector, let me give my respects so I may leave unscathed. I am a gardener most learned.” Sola frowns at these words and is about to argue when she notices some of her roots have grown exposed. “Fine,” she agrees, “but you will be gone after you finish your work.”

With strange relief in his eyes, Ryan nods and sets to work. With carefully practiced hands, he covers her roots with carefully practiced hands. Before leaving, he transposes beneficial fungus from nearby trees, so detritus doesn’t build under her.

Sola, impressed with his work, gives a nod of approval. “You’ve done good human, now for your rewards.” She praises, wiggling her hips. With a nod, Ryan claps his hands together and makes up a prayer before leaving. Sola, too afraid to reveal herself, plays along and shoos him away. Only once she is sure he’s out of sight does she let her smile drop.

Fall

-Soured harvest-

Sola’s glare sharply watches Ryan lug the bag towards her. He’d grown older since they’d met all those years ago, and there hadn’t been a day that went by that he didn’t visit. “That better not be that ‘manure’ stuff again.” Sola’s words made Ryan sweat as he raised a hand in forgiveness. “It’s not, I promise!” He begged,  letting Sola eye him and his reactions. After being satisfied that he was truthful, she allowed him to come close, laying nutrient-rich soil around her.

As Ryan finishes his work, tamping the soil properly so her roots grow strong, he goes to stand only for a crack in his spine to send him hunching again. “Ryan, are you alright?!” Sola shouts, concern filling her, cursing the fact that she cannot properly move to help. After a moment, Ryan catches his breath and returns to standing straight. “I’m fine, Sola, don’t worry about me.” He assures, though she remains unconvinced.

Turning to grab his watering can, he winces again. “Ryan, stop,” Sola begs. “Why are you doing this for me if you keep hurting yourself?” Sola’s interrogations leave Ryan speechless as he stares wordlessly. The anger Sola feels when she sees that same look the villagers had when they left on Ryan’s face was immeasurable. She cuts him off when he tries to make up some excuse.

“Stop, tell me. I’m not some sprout, I can handle it. Don’t lie either, I can tell.” Sola’s commands were with a level voice colder than the air around them. “This is about everyone who left, right? I know you know about those empty homes.” She continues, each remark scathing. When Ryan speaks, his words shake her.

“You… know what kind of plant you are, right Sola?” Ryan’s voice is shaky as he speaks. Sola freezes in place. “There are other types of plants like me?” she wonders. The pain on Ryan’s face becomes more evident as he speaks, as if each word hurt him more than her. “You’re… you’re a Goldfish Allurane. People tend to plant your seeds when wishing for good fortune, but when the ground is rich in magic, you come alive…”

“They… never wanted me?” Sola asks, her heart so painful she could swear she heard it crack. “No, that’s not what I meant,” Ryan assures, though he’s clearly unsteady. “When you become Allurane, it’s considered a symbol of great fortune; you’re considered incredibly lucky.” The next words hurt worse. “Most people take them with, replanting them if able. I’m sure when I found you, it was already too late, after all, you were three years over rooted, it’d be impossible to move you.” He finishes, watching as Sola starts to cry, realizing his mistake.

“Eight…” She whispers. “What?” Ryan asks. “EIGHT GODDAMN YEARS BEFORE YOU FOUND ME!” Sola screams, her gentle cries turning to wails. “They could’ve taken me with them when they went to the city! But they abandoned me!” She turns her anger towards Ryan, pointing accusingly. “Is that why you’re here? Pity? I don’t need your pity, I got on just fine without you!” She shouts. Ryan tries to calm her. “Sola… please…” He begs, but she throws his watering can at him.

The city, that fucking city. “We’ll come back for you,” they told her. They could have taken her with them! “Our village is poor, in the city we’ll be rich!” They told her. Every single one of them is a liar! Sola stares daggers at Ryan. “He’s a fucking liar too,” She thinks to herself, replaying every happy memory of the lively village in off-color memories.

“Go! Get out of here, I don’t ever want to see you again!” Solas’ fiery words finally hit, and Ryans sulks off, his heart heavier than hers. Sola stares down at the ground once she’s alone, seeing a glove Ryan dropped. As she picks it up and cradles it, she quietly cries to herself, this time, feeling truly alone in the world.

Winter

-Frozen Tears-

It had been decades since the day they fought. Ryan still visited, though less frequently. Sola remained cold, however, too afraid to get close to him again. To anyone again. As she stares at the city that has grown over the horizon, she shivers, bundled up in her leaves. Unbeknownst to her, the worst winter storm in the last hundred years was upon her.

With wind howling, she watches as Ryan, whose hair had long since greyed, drags more tarps, wood, and wire over. The structure was hardly half-built, but as she saw him trip in the snow for the umpteenth time, she finally broke. “Ryan, stop… please…” she begged, speaking what had to be the first words she’d shared with him in the last five years.

This only emboldened Ryan as he started working harder. “I can’t, Sola,” he bit back. “I won’t let you freeze to death out here; this is too much snow for even your roots to handle.” Ryan’s scolding hurt worse than anything she’s said to him all this time. “And what about you!” She counters. “I’ll live, and if I lose a few fingers or a hip, well, that’s chump change compared to a life.” He retorts, leaving Sola speechless.

She continues begging, shouting, telling him to go away. Her throat grows hoarse as she tries to make him stop. Her tears sting as they freeze on her face as she watches her only friend tear himself apart for her. Ryan refuses any reason to cease, and only when a plank falls, striking him with the wroth of indifferent cruelty, does he stop. “My leg!” He shouts as he falls onto Sola.

As he tries to get to his feet, he winces, the bone having cracked with his age. Still, he struggles, stopping as Sola surprises him with a hug far stronger than either expects. “Ryan, RYAN!” she shouts. “Please stop… I can’t lose you too…” she sobs. As she begs, the storm kicks up, knocking down part of the structure and trapping them inside. Sola tries lift it, to free Ryan from this cold hell, but the wind is too strong. It pushes the posts and tarps deeper, simultaneously trapping them whilst shielding them from it.

“Ryan, it’s… It’s okay, just rest here for now. When the storm dies, you can go and…” Sola freezes as he returns the hug. “Please don’t cry, Sola, I can’t stand to see you in pain.” Silently, tears stream down her face as she holds him. Neither lets go as the storm rages. For over three weeks, with the wind screaming around them, they hold each other. After the second day, Ryan wraps his clothes around Sola, and Sola shields Ryan with her leaves. By the third day, Sola forces her breast to his mouth, forcing him to supp from her nectar. By the fifth, cabin fever overtakes the two, and for the first time in either of their lives, they make love.

Finally, after three weeks do they hear the sounds of digging. Rescue has come, and as sunlight touches their faces, do they finally relax. Gingerly, she passes Ryan to the Paramedics. Staring up as they take her, she cries again, just like when she told him to leave her all those years ago.

“Please! Ryan! Save my Ryan!” She shouts as he’s loaded into a harness. While Sola had never seen a helicopter before, she prays with all her might that it takes Ryan to a healer who can beat back whatever damage has been done to him. “Oh god above and earth below, please keep Ryan from death and harm.” She prays, over and over, as frozen tears scar her face.

Summer

-Heritage Fruits-

Sola sits in the city park atrium, watching as her seedlings play with the local children. Ever since they sprouted, she promised herself they would never go through the same loneliness she did. With Ryan’s help, they had convinced the city to expand limits over the forest and build a sanctuary for alluranes who needed tons of earth to be moved for replanting. They agreed, on the condition that’d it’d double as a public space and garden. Sola agreed wholeheartedly, using her root network to help divert nutrients as efficiently as possible to the growing plants.

Slowly, an old man with thick glasses hobbles towards her down the carefully paved path. As he sits on the bench beside her, he watches the sproutlings. “My my, they look just like their mother,” Ryan says happily. “They have the stubbornness of their father.” Sola sighs, gently hugging Ryan. “You look good for a hundred and twenty.” She says wistfully, remembering their years. “It’s all the fresh air I get!” Ryan jokes with a laugh. Sola returns with a snicker.

As they sit there, basking in the warm sunlight, they quietly reaffirm to each other the thing they haven’t stopped saying since Ryan was released from the hospital. The one thing they wished they had said to each other when they met all those long years ago. “I love you, Ryan.” She says, holding his hand. “I love you, Sola.” He says, resting his head on her shoulder.

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