Alice didn’t think the abduction happened in a flash, that’s just how it felt.

She’d been chasing her sister, DeDe, during a game of late-night manhunt. Her sister, who’s real name was Cecilia, was the last one to be captured. Living in a rural farming community outside of Spokane, there were only so many games to be played. Alice had played hide and seek with her sister too many times as a child so she knew her sister was hiding somewhere in the Coop. DeDe was still a child, only just going into middle school, but Alice, now in high school, was grown. If you asked her, she would’ve told you with impassioned fervor. So, to win the game, Alice had left her friends laughing, and sipping energy drinks in the front yard, to find her sister.

And then a splitting headache had emerged as if out of nowhere, the light of what she thought might be a tractor, burrowing deeper and deeper behind her eyes like an icepick.

She felt herself collapse onto the wet grass of the field and the next thing she knew, she was in an unfamiliar room sitting in a circular, egg-shaped chair.

The room was well lit, reminiscent of a greenhouse.

In fact, it might’ve been a greenhouse, the amount of foliage that was everywhere. What was so off-putting though was the unfamiliarity of it all. Each plant seemed vaguely plant-like, but as if they’d been dropped into an art-room and shaken up for a few hours. They were vividly blue, blooming gold, and some were even fluorescent.

A large red and pink flower bloomed and closed in front of Alice.

And she heard a voice.

“Don’t be afraid, testing, can you hear me?”

The voice was coming from inside her ear, where she realized there was some type of hearing aid.

“What the hell?”

A box in front of the flower-creature emitted a cloud of what looked unmistakably like pollen. The red-pink flower sucked it in.

“Oh good, it’s working!” Alice heard in her ear, “Marigold, it’s working!”

“Where am I?” asked Alice, distinctly scared now but unable to move.

“You won’t be here long. We will let you pursue your fellow seedling in a moment.”

“Who are you?” Alice asked.

“Just a potential neighbor. We are looking for a new plot of land, my mate and I, and we are just looking for some local reviews.”

Alice was shocked at the sincerity.

“So, what can I help you with?”

“Do you like living here?” said the flower.

“It’s kind of lonely sometimes. You’re far away from your friends most of the time,” said Alice, honestly, “but it can be peaceful.”

“Sounds encouraging,” puffed the flower, “now how about the sun? Is it always on?”

“Yes,” said Alice, “And it can be very hot during the summer.”

“Ideal,” said the flower, “And one final question: would you consider yourself a planter?”

“Well, my mom is the gardener of the family, but I consider myself to have gotten some of her green thumb. So yeah, I’d say so.”

“Gardener?” The word seemed unfamiliar to the flower.

“Yeah, someone who plants flowers and trees, and other things”

“That’s an occupation here?” said the flower.

“More of a hobby” said Alice, “but an important one.”

The box in front of the flower began to flash and Alice felt her migraine returning, starting from her ears now and crawling behind her eyes.

“Well, we must weigh our options, but perhaps we shall see you again, little gardener!”