Everybody noticed the flowers had stopped growing but no one mentioned it. Instead, they talked about the way the leaves moved, how beautiful the bark was, the perfect colour of the grass. They started to dress in greens and browns. Subtlety became all, but still no one mentioned the flowers.
5 comments:
‘Keep off the Grass’, ‘Don’t Pick the Flowers’, ‘Do Not Feed the Squirrels’. Nicholas hated being told what to do and what not, broke the rules whenever he could, not keeping left, or walking this way, or following the arrows. People frowned when he waded naked into the ornamental fountain.
Danger of electrocution, caution wet floor, stop when red lights show, children must be carried, mind the gap, stand clear of the doors, road ahead closed, try your brakes, kill your speed, loose chippings, accident blackspot, emergency vehicles only. Tiredness can kill, soft verge. Dead slow. Don't pick the flowers.
It was their fault the flowers disappeared, though they hadn't ignored the sign all together. Often, one of them leaned upon it, scratched their ribs on the metal post, or found it an indiscriminately nice place to have a piss. Onlookers thought, "What a shame it is that goats don't read."
They had eight hours to find them before cold turkey. Charing Cross flew over the islands but the Californina sharptooth blues were growing nowhere. The next day the sign disappeared. Cross guessed that 'Virtual Masters' had found where he had hidden them. How long before they clicked him off?
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