"OH, LOOK how adorable he is."

"Shush, Daisy. You're waking him up."

"Silence, both of you."

"Rose, how long until the boy wakes up?"

"It shall be any moment from now. Now, all of you, keep silent. The boy's stirring."

Those soothing voices caused Andy to stir from his comfortable sleep. He groaned and stretched his legs and arms as the morning sun filtered through his eyelids. The boy couldn't remember his bedroom smelling so refreshing and sweet. He turned to his side and pinched his soft and plump bed. It emitted a strange sound, making his eyes fly open. He squished the plump material once more, and again, it giggled.

Upon hearing a scary noise, most children typically scream and flee. Before, Andy would mock them secretly in his head for fearing things that weren't even real. He would always say, Only idiots would fear the make-believes. But three days of his supposedly boring summer vacation in Aunt Carol's house, he was already questioning his sanity.

Please, let this be a dream, he prayed.

Dark figures cast their shadows above him, intercepting the rays of the sun. A strange sound caused him to flinch. Someone, or something, sighed. It sounded simultaneously like the rustle of leaves and a human voice. Andy rolled to his back and found different large flowers peering at him. And it wasn't only that which made his eyes pop and mouth open in terror. They had eyes and mouths that no plant should have, and they were at least thrice his height.

"AAHHH!" Andy scrambled backward until he caught himself in a puddle of water. The boy blushed as his bottom was suddenly soaking wet.

Scanning his surroundings, he was surrounded by a large flower bed with a border of daisies and large trees around its perimeter. Numerous bushes formed long rows. They started straight and then blended into elaborate patterns, creating a labyrinth that stretched towards the northern part of the Verfair Timberland. However, straight ahead was a lake full in sight.

He tried to remember how he got here or who changed him into embarrassing pajamas. It was rosie, the shade of diluted pink that reminded him of peonies and dahlias... and of Aunt Carol's house.

"Rosa, Lilium, Orchidaceae, Dianthus, Hyacinthus—"

"I think he's broken," said the Tiger-Lily as Andy chanted strange words like a broken record.

"—Alstroemeria, Chrysanthemum Morifolium, Helianthus—"

"Ooh, I heard my name. He said Chrysanthemum," said the blooming purple flower, waving gracefully about in the wind. "Though I don't know what Morifolium is."

Andy spotted his bag at the foot of the Tiger-Lily. At length, as she went on waving about, the flower spoke in a timid voice—almost in a whisper. "Boy, there are so many interesting things you have in there. But worry not, I do not take an interest in things that are of no use to a flower like me."

"Little one," said the Rose, her thorny stem extended and slithered like a snake so she could reach Andy from where she was planted. "I wonder what's that shiny round thing you put on your eyes."

"Oh, Rose. He looks funny," cried Daisy as she wiped fake tears on her beady eyes.

"Yeah, he's funny," the Morning Glory flowers chimed together.

Andy didn't like being criticized, so he began asking questions. "Where am I? And where are my friends?"

"What is your name, sweet?" said the Daffodil as she batted her eyelashes.

"Andy," he said.

"Oh, Andy. What a sweet name," said the pink Carnation, clasping her hands.

"And now, to answer your question, Andy, we saw no one with you," said Rose.

The Orchids shrieked and covered their eyes with the leaves of a hand. "What a terrible fate. We found you spiraling in the air like a shooting star."

"Thank goodness I caught you in time," said the Sunflower, and she laughed merrily.

Andy's mouth gaped at the sound of that voice—deep yet high-pitched—the same one he heard when he woke up. "It's you! You're the one who served as my bed. D-Did I hurt you?"

The Sunflower gasped. She seized the Sweet Pea by her neck, tugged the lavender petals in her hand, and blew her nose on it (if she had one). The Sweet Pea, resembling a fringed butterfly, took a swift intake of breath as her beautiful petals were thoroughly wet with greenish slime.

"Unbelievable!" she shrieked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just so touched when he asked if I was hurt." The Sunflower blew through her nose once more then looked at him. "But no, boy, I am perfectly fine."

"Andy, oh dear Andy. Us, Irises, dressed you beautifully when your clothes were ripped in all the places." The Purple Irises spread out a variety of colorful cotton fabrics for him to see.

He peered down at the pajamas he was wearing—the clothing designed with floral patterns—and cringed.

"Uh, thanks," he muttered.

The Irises erupted in fits of giggles, whispering to each other, "He loves it! He loves it!"

"Hmm, bed—check. Clothes—check. What else, what else," said Rose as she tapped her chin, pondering. Everyone around her fell silent as they waited to hear what the mighty rose would say. "Aha! Foods."

The flowers squealed in glee, and altogether they chanted, "Yes! Food!"

They all scrambled about in haste to find food to offer their guest. The flowers of Blooms Garden were so delighted, for it had been a hundred years since a human had set their eyes upon them. They feared that time would come, they'd wither, and not anyone but themselves would appreciate their beauty.

Orchid's slender stem of a hand wrapped itself around the boy's waist. Andy was carried to sit on a huge boulder. From there, he watched as the flowers became a tangled mess. Daisy and Chrysanthemum had their stems stuck in a knot up to their neck in haste to gather wild strawberries from a bush. Carnation and Daffodil met head-on, resulting in pink and yellow petals to rain on him like dazzling jewels.

Piles of fresh berries and other fruits were placed on his lap, while some rolled off to the ground as they were just too many; he couldn't hold them all.

Andy's mouth watered. The vivid colors of the fruits spoke to its freshness and the bold flavors to come. At the sound of his growling stomach, the flowers laughed heartily and urged him to have his fill. So, he ate everything to his heart's content.

He popped a grape and cherry inside his mouth, and a burst of its sweet juices coated his tongue.

"Holy. These taste good," he said and bit the apple next. Its crunching was like music to his ears.

"Right? It is so tasty that you won't ever think of leaving us, hmm?" Sweet Pea said as she stroked his hair while watching him finish all the fruits.

But Andy was so focused on eating that he didn't realize how much time had already passed by. Each time he was down to the very last fruit, the flowers would fill his lap with some more. He gladly ate everything since he was so hungry and didn't have a proper meal in the past two-and-a-half days. It was only when his tummy ached that he refused the fourth serving.

"I think I should go now," he said while looking up at the darkening sky. He slid off the boulder and landed on his feet. Andy slung his backpack, heading south to find his way back to his friends. However, a bunch of Morning Glories blocked his way and pushed him until his back pressed onto the rough surface of the boulder.

"Why don't you sleep first, Andy?" they said in unison. "You must be tired."

Andy pushed them lightly out of the way. "No, I'm not tired. I still have friends to find." He fixed his glasses as they slightly slid off the bridge of his nose. "Plus, lying down with a full stomach too soon after a meal can cause gastrointestinal discomfort."

The flowers were silenced. The sounds of crickets replaced their perky voices and nonstop chatterings. As if they had rehearsed this part a hundred times, they lean their flowery heads to the left simultaneously.

"I don't understand what he said, but it does sound dangerous," Andy heard one of the Purple Irises say to Rose.

Rose shook her cup-shaped head and wriggled her stem to go closer to Andy. The boy pressed himself to the massive boulder behind him to avoid the copious thorns her stem was armed with.

"Alright! If you don't want to sleep, then perhaps, we can all play together to pass the time," said Rose.

Andy uttered a groan and surrendered as the Morning Glory flowers pulled him to the middle.

"Alright, Andy," said Rose as she got back to her position beside Tiger-Lily. "Tulip will sing us a song, and the rest of us will dance. When she stops, we have to stay frozen in our spot. Whoever moves even an inch while the song is not playing will be out of the game. Are we clear with that?"

"So we will be playing a stop dance then?" Andy tapped his chin with a finger. He never played that game with the other kids before, but he did watch his dad and his workmates play it at their Christmas Party. And it didn't seem that hard. "Okay. I'm in."

The flowers cheered and clapped at his response. Tulip cleared her throat, sucked in a breath, and let the notes which fell from her lips weave into beautiful music. It was a lively song, and everyone, including Andy, danced to its beat. They swayed, twirled, and rocked back and forth. When Tulip stopped her singing, so did everyone from their dancing. Everyone stood frozen until a tiny bug perched on Chrysanthemum's delicate nose, making her sneeze.

"Ha! You're out," said Carnation.

Chrysanthemum muttered incoherent words under her breath, and their game continued. Sunflower was out when the wind blew hard in her direction. And so were Tiger-Lily, Rose, and Daffodil when large nuts fell from the tree branches onto them. Night arrived over Verfair Timberland, and in the end, Andy won. It was hard for the flowers to control their balance, for one tiny external force would either send them swaying or toppling over one another.

Andy stretched his arms as he yawned. He looked up and was shocked to realize it was already night. The night sky was picturesque. A black to navy gradient was the backdrop for a full moon; the night sky so clear he could almost see every crater.

He bit his lip, realizing that he wasted more time from their journey, so the boy decided it was really time for him to go, and no more games or food could stop him. Andy had to find Elsie, Chip, and Hex fast.

"Ooh, that was fun. Let's play another one," said Tulip. Her white petals merrily danced as she swayed out of giddiness.

Daisy snorted. "You didn't play. You just sang."

"Um, everyone?" said Andy when he decided to butt in before the flowers could think of another game. "I enjoyed playing with all of you but, uh, I really need to go. My friends need me, so I have to find them."

He walked towards the south, but the Morning Glories blocked his path again. "You don't like us?" they asked, then cried. The whole of Blooms Garden was filled with their whines. Big droplets of tears plunged to the rock-hard soil, creating a small puddle around them.

"No, no, don't cry. I-It's not like that," said Andy, waving his hand frantically.

A group of Purple Irises surrounded him, enveloping him in a case of shadows. "Oh, just stay with us, Andy. We'll make fun things together forever and ever."

"I—"

Tiger-Lily came up behind him like a phantom that Andy shivered when her cold breath fanned his nape. "I would like to apologize, dear." She laughed timidly. "But I'm afraid we can't let you go."

Andy whipped around to face the Tiger-Lily, but instead, he came face to face with Rose. The flower turned even a brighter shade of red that he thought she would explode. She inched closer and closer, and Andy would take a step back each time. Rose would never let more than an inch be their distance. She stopped when Andy's back pressed on the giant boulder.

"W-What do you mean you can't let me go?"

"Oh, poor boy." Rose shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Only once in a blue moon do we get our nourishments ever since those selfish rascals from the village closed off the entrance to Verfair Timberland. Because of that, no more foolish man would end up in our traps. So you can't imagine how happy we were when we saw you falling from the sky down to our nest. It feels like a blessing has rained down on us."

Rose's warm smile twisted into a menacing grin. Chills crept up to his spine. Then his heart went berserk when he witnessed the flowers' eyes turn a pure shade of black.

Out of fear and desperation to leave, Andy smacked Rose on her face, pushing her out of the way. She shrieked, startling the other flowers, which gave Andy enough headstart as he ran due north, opposite of his intended direction.

He ran and ran, deeper into the sea of angry evil flowers and towering bushes. The further he went, the taller the bushes became, changing from groomed shrubs to tangled brambles.

"Get him!" shouted Tiger-Lily, and all the flowers chased after him. The vines slithered like a snake, following after him. Every flower he passed through would thwack their flowery heads onto him as if he was in a Whac-A-Mole game. All of them failed to seize him, and they would end up dizzy or losing a petal or two from their heads.

Now and then, stray canes stuck out, grabbing Andy's clothes. One of the thorns sliced his ankle, producing a few brilliant drops of blood.

"How much farther?" Andy whispered to himself as he got up to run again.

Andy could finally see the end of the seemingly endless path. Only a few steps left for him, and he would be safe. Desperate to get out of Blooms Garden, he settled in for a dive. He landed with a thud on hard soil at the same time he heard Rose's angry cry.